Capsule Monsters: Beyond Legends
by CuteYami
Summary: Chapter 04: "Shield" - While in Tykinou, Jonouchi hears the troubles of the citizens, bringing back memories of his younger sister, Shizuka. He volunteers to defend the town against the creatures while Yugi and Anzu rest. Chapter 5 coming October 2012.
1. Tale

**Yuugiou: Capsule Monsters - Beyond Legends**

_AU. In a world where humans and creatures live alongside each other, many legends have been formed. Now a young male, Yugi Mutou, plans to make himself known. One difference sets him apart: The Millennium Puzzle and the spirit of a Pharaoh on his side._

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Tale**

The world, a vast sphere of life, the heart of time, home to the human race. Throughout the history of the planet, countless legends and legacies had been created, running through time until fading away or the torch of that story had been passed to another being, to continue that tale with a new instalment. Several of the countries divided from the rest of the land through the sea, large continents united through their structures, no two places the same. The same was for the people of the world, the souls drifting along the planet's surface throughout the lives of their human bodies.

In India alone, a historian had made his own presence in the world known when he discovered a pyramid, surprised by such a revelation. Research had led him to believe that the pyramid origin laid in the era of Alexander the Great. At the same time, another twist in the world's fate unfolded. The lowest level of the structure had been found with a massive map upon the titles of the floor, reaching out to the opposite edge of the room, which in itself looked enormous. When the team that had reached the level laid their feet against the floor before the map, a twinkle emerged in the centre of the map, raising the curiosity of the young men. The twinkle faded as quickly as it was spotted, the room almost completely black with the exception of the lanterns several of the men held high, the flames burning brightly against the cover of darkness, torches in their other hands for insurance, if the flames were to die on them, they could still escape the darkness' blanket. One of the younger men, just nineteen years of age, stepped ahead of the man at the head of the group, raising his lantern higher, hanging higher his head, staring at the spot where he had seen the small glimmer of light, his expression displaying his curiosity.

Another sparkle emerged, a golden spark that didn't fade like the earlier white one had; his eyes remained on it, praying that it wouldn't fade before he could reach it, to learn what it was. He brushed his shaggy hazel fringe from his eyes, observing the light as it floated in the same place, the others behind him gasping in awe, their eyes widening at the sight of it. His eyes pulled themselves away from it, lying onto the torch in his left hand. The light of his lantern was falling short of the sparkle; however, he was confident in the torch's range. With a single flick of his thumb, the bulb lit up, the short beam of light extending to the ground by his left boot. Without even watching it, he lifted his left hand at the same time lowering the lantern, allowing the torch to continue the lantern's position, running along the images engraved in the map. Mountains, forests, stretches of plain fields, lakes, he had never seen anything like it, it was like gazing down at a small portion of the world's land, all elements combining to create such a landscape. His eyes landed on the light, a second later, the beam of his light followed, there was nothing beneath the sparkle, only the map, what seemed to be the image of a town on the edge of the circle of brightness. The man narrowed his eyes; his curiosity peaked, if there was anything he wanted to know about throughout the entire expedition, it was that light.

His answer was realized, his wish about to be granted when the golden light shot from its spot, racing around the opposite end of the room. The sudden rush shocked the men, cries and more gasps - ones of surprise and panic rather than awe, they had no idea what was happening, what was going to follow. The nineteen-year old brought his arm back in a defensive position before his chest, he had heard so many myths and legends of curses amongst the ruins of the past world, yet for a simple light to be rushing around the room, it wasn't what he had imagined for a command of death. Luckily for him he didn't believe in such superstitions, part of his desire as an archaeologist was to uncover the truth, to risk the chance that maybe a curse could exist, to risk his life exploring tombs with the feeling that said curses could claim him, the thrill alone was what he loved, let alone what he could find. Just when he returned from his thoughts focusing on what the light could be, he noticed it had just reflected from the wall directly opposite him, lunging for him. He gasped; his body unable to move while the men behind him were yelling out in fear and trembling like an earthquake rocked the room. The man standing closest to him, the one that led the men through the expedition into the room; stepped back, witnessing the angle of the light's path, his eyes landing on the man ahead of him.

The journey of the light was mere seconds; everything seemed to be happening in slow motion compared to its rush. It slammed into the young man's left arm, causing him to yell out as he was almost forced back, dropping his lantern, the glass shattering and landing as fragments while the small flame died instantly. The leader close to him closed his eyes, the light that emitted from the impact was blinding, forcing the rest of the men to freeze and close their own eyes, shrieks of terror echoing throughout the room. From all but the leader beside his young apprentice.

"Tsukasa!" he yelled blindly.

Silence fell about the room, a couple of the men behind him whimpering when they had registered the lack of sound. The leader opened his eyes slowly, the light having faded, his vision clearing slowly. He could still make out someone standing ahead of him, their back to him, to the others.

"Tsukasa?" he asked meekly, worried that he could just collapse in a dead heap.

The young man - Tsukasa - glanced at him over his shoulder, he didn't seem to be injured or have registered any pain, which made him wonder even more what the light had done, why it had raced for him.

"Professor" Tsukasa replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "I think I understand what that light was".

"What?" he asked back hurriedly, he had to know the answer.

Tsukasa turned to face him, the others also able to see what Tsukasa had been referring to. A large machine sat on Tsukasa's forearm, shining with the same golden colour as the light had, a single metallic strap wrapped around his arm, joining him and the device together. The end appeared like a cannon, a silver opening which appeared to be the exit of a tunnel. Along the edges of the tunnel ran two crimson lines, ending at a cut in the metal, another element slightly higher than the upper level which the cannon ran inside of. The highest level four slight dips of a turquoise colour, two each side, a crimson oval bump, looking similar some form of alarm. The end consisted of a thin strip of the golden metal continuing to the end where the lower level became the highest level, either side of the strip were two larger dips of a triangular shape when the end curved in order for the end to come together. Beyond the end of the highest level, the lower two levels ended with a sharper point, a narrow slit cutting into it halfway down.

"What on earth is that?" the professor asked, pointing to the machine.

"It's what the light gave me, there must be some purpose to it, something that links it to this pyramid" Tsukasa answered, setting his chocolate eyes on it.

"What about that belt? You weren't wearing that before!" one of the other men behind them both called, pointing to Tsukasa's waist.

Both lowered their eyes, surprised to see the man had been telling the truth, it was different. Six hallow circles, appearing to have the use of holding something, one already filled. It was enough to convince Tsukasa of his suspicions, the machine on his arm and the belt were linked; he had to test it, to prove it, so he knew what they were. He placed his fingers over the holder, pressing down on the lock, the capsule inside shooting up against his palm; his eyes widened marginally feeling the cold metal. The device on his arm opened up, showing slots for the small capsules, Tsukasa stared at the skeleton of the device's internal that was visible through the opening, laying the capsule in the right-hand side, watching it slip in perfectly. The opening slammed shut, a rainbow of flashes running along the edges of the device, running along several paths at once, gathering at the mouth of the small cannon.

The men gathered behind Tsukasa, watching it all in awe once again, their fear sunk beneath their thirst for knowledge. A moment passed where time seemed to stand still, nothing happened, waiting for the device's use of the small capsule that Tsukasa had just inserted. The silence was shattered in an instant, a white light shooting out of the cannon, provoking several gasps of surprise, Tsukasa stared at the light, travelling in a straight beam from the cannon, halting in mid-air; a shape was being formed. The men remained frozen, concern as to what the light was creating, what would happen, yet their curiosity had heightened yet again; they had to know what was happening. The light slowly began to fade, what appeared to be a small mage became clearer, the white glowing around it. Sky blue hair flowing to its shoulders, large sapphire eyes setting themselves on him, a soft face much like a young child, its body covered in small snow-white attire. It seemed like a human, despite the feeling it was from another plain, Tsukasa could almost recognize it, somewhere misty in his memory.

"Who has brought me from my plain?" the mage asked its voice discreet, echoing slightly.

Tsukasa paused, inhaling as he did so, calming himself before he stepped forward, almost at the edge of the map, a couple of those behind him dropping their eyes to him.

"I did. Tsukasa Nishimura" he answered confidently.

"'Tsukasa'…" the mage repeated slowly.

"What's going on? What is this machine on my arm? Who are you? There's so much about this I don't understand" Tsukasa asked, his eyes locked onto the sparkling sapphire eyes of the mage.

"Tsukasa…I am known as Silent Magician. The earliest of my stages, overtime I would become much larger and stronger" the mage replied solemnly. "I thought you would have recognized me".

"What?" Tsukasa asked, a gasp bringing in unneeded air into his mouth. "I've never seen anything like you before, how could I recognize you if we've never met?"

"I am a being of the card game you humans play 'Duel Monsters'" the mage answered calmly. "The truth is, it isn't a card game as you are led to believe, we simply live in an alternative world, separate from you, however; both worlds co-exist with each other. As long as one world remains safe, the other cannot be harmed".

"I don't understand. If you exist in another world, why surface here? Now?" Tsukasa inquired, desperate to know as much as he could, he was fascinated by the mage's words.

"Two thousand years ago, during the time of the Roman Era, your world was largely dominated by one man. His name lived on as 'Alexander the Great'. At one time he emerged here, wielding an artefact that even during the time was a thousand years old" the mage explained, keeping its eyes focused on Tsukasa calmly. "The guardian of the item and its brothers emerged, challenging him to a trial of our world, challenging how well a king he was, his strength outside the reality of the largely dominated world he lived in. As he expected, he was able to surpass the trials, however, they came at a cost. The item he had been holding possessed a dark aura, the greed in him was surfacing. When he reached the top of the pyramid's internals, he found himself at the doorway to claim his prize, however, he ignored his servants words and the key he had obtained from our world vanished, his desire for power through greed had completely taken over him. As a result, his spirit was split into two halves, one being locked away in our world".

"Are you telling me that Alexander the Great's spirit had been weakened since then because he failed overall?" Tsukasa asked, shuffling forward a fraction, the story reeling him in.

"Indeed" the mage answered with a nod. "His spirit was able to live peacefully in our world, so fate decided that perhaps our worlds didn't have to separate, perhaps we could co-exist in one world, perhaps drawing in both worlds together. That's why I was sent, after Alexander's spirit had been able to find peace in our world and passed away in your world, the artefact having abandoned him after the disaster he encountered here, fate could see that we could live together outside of the bond of the card game that the humans play to call us to this plain. So, I waited here with that machine that allows us to survive in this world in a new way, that's what the capsule was, it held my spirit much like a card would, however, after being released in that way, I can survive in a completely different way. I am here in this world, not a hologram baring a portion of my spirit. I have waited here for much of the two-thousand years since the time of Alexander the Great, waiting. When someone arrived recently, we believed our prayers had been answered, however, he never discovered this room. So fate and I waited longer. Then you arrived and having recognized the map upon the ground as a world - our world - I was able to see through that light, that was me. You discovered me Tsukasa. You are the first to wield that device that some call a 'Capsule Shooter', you are the first of a new world".

"What are you saying? Is everyone going to receive these devices?" the professor beside Tsukasa inquired.

"Thousands of the machines to bare our souls will be spread across the world, however, only those that are destined to become those that hold them will be the ones to discover them. The ones fate has chosen. No-one knows if this experiment will succeed or fail, nor for how long" the mage continued. "We hope that together, we can all live in your plain; then perhaps humans can live in our world also".

"Sounds like a science fiction story" one of the men behind Tsukasa muttered, excited by the prospect being laid before them.

"Fate entrusted me to you, Tsukasa. You and I shall observe this new world unfold together" the mage claimed.

"We shall" Tsukasa replied with a nod, for the first time since entering the room, he was smiling; he was no longer curious but rather excited and proud of his position. "Shall we go then, Silent Magician?"

The young mage smiled joyfully when Tsukasa spoke its name, already there was an invisible bond forming between the two of them, Tsukasa could see a complete transformation in personality, no longer was the small mage speaking formally as the messenger of fate rather more like a young child. It descended towards the ground, remaining in the air, only inches above the ground, smiling up at Tsukasa who now towered over it.

"My, this is a revelation. We should tell the team outside" the professor suggested with a chuckle.

Silent Magician's sapphire eyes closed unhurriedly, another golden glimmer emerging where it had come from, catching the eyes of the humans. Hovering a moment much like the first golden sparkle, it paused before what sounded like an explosion, the small glimmer transformed into an immense horizontal tower of radiance, pouring over the entire room. The men ducked as the sound rang out, the beam shooting over their heads and out of the room, travelling upwards to the ground level and out the mouth of the pyramid, shining upwards into the sky just as bright as the sun itself. The men outside who the professor had referred to cried out in panic and terror, one yelling that it was a rumoured curse bringing the Apocalypse. The beam evaporated from the pyramid, the dissolving running along its path, up towards the sky where ash-coloured clouds were gathering. Silence fell about the area, the men cowering and whimpering, waiting for that chaos, the growling of destruction. The same invisible explosion rang out, the men screaming and praying when the light appeared as a second sun. From inside the pyramid, the archaeologists returned to their full height, gazing around curiously to where the light had vanished to.

"It must have travelled outside" the professor called. "Let's go, we must watch what happens. This gift of the other world".

The group rushed for the staircase beyond the exit to the large room, Tsukasa halted as he passed through the gap, looking back over his shoulder, his eyes falling on Silent Magician who remained behind.

"Silent Magician" he muttered. "Come on, the others won't mind you, I promise. You said it yourself; we will watch this new world unfold together. Let's join the others and watch it being born before we miss the biggest discovery for a lengthy time".

Silent Magician's smile surfaced once again, nodding brightly before floating towards Tsukasa, he smiled back, envying its ability to float in mid-air. Outside the pyramid, the professor and the other archaeologists emerged, witnessing the light hovering in the immense orb close to the sun, they raced to their comrades.

"Professor, what's going on?" a man in his early twenties asked; fear evident in his voice.

"It's nothing to fear" the professor replied. "It's just the dawn of a new age".

"I knew it, we're all going to die!" the man shrieked, tears sliding down his cheeks, pressing his hands against the sides of his head.

"No we're not, you'll see" the professor snapped, laying his hands upon the man's shoulders.

Tsukasa and Silent Magician emerged just as the others had, bathed in the light of the impostor sun, Silent Magician's attention diverted to it, gazing thoughtfully up at the second sun hanging brightly in the sky. Tsukasa followed its line of sight, noticing the orb, gazing up at it in awe while the terror around remained at its peak. Seconds after Tsukasa laid his eyes on the orb, the sound of a massive explosion rang out, provoking cries and yells of terror, the orb split apart, racing in all directions in beam of light that quickly faded into nothing as they continued their path out of sight. Hearing the sounds fading away to silence, the archaeologists were left in silence. One of the senior archaeologists that had remained outside found his eyes laying themselves upon Tsukasa and Silent Magician, widening when he registered Silent Magician's presence.

"What is that?" he called, pointing at the small mage.

"This is a Duel Monster, it came from the same kind of light as that one just now" Tsukasa replied.

"So it brought about that. That light was surely destructive, it's probably tearing the planet up as we speak" the man protested harshly.

"No, we can trust that mage" the professor intervened. "It speaks of a utopia, a desire to unite our world with their world - the world of Duel Monsters. It's carrying out the wishes of fate".

"'Wishes of fate'?" the man retorted, almost spitting at the wording.

"That's what we were told, and I believe Silent Magician. Fate chose us to come here and start that wish" Tsukasa bellowed.

"Tsukasa…" the mage muttered, its eyes rising to him.

"We're partners; we'll see this world grow. We'll carry out fate's wish" Tsukasa replied with a gentle smile.

* * *

_**8 years later - Domino City, Japan**_

The sun blazed just like that day eight years earlier. The short boy brushed the blonde bangs hanging by the side of his face away, fortunately only those on his right fell as far as to hang beside his face. It had been some time since he had ventured out in search of an adventure, but the time was drawing near, he had found a convenient slope overlooking a portion of his home town from which he would gaze at the twinkling lights in the night hours. The city was just as beautiful in the day, seeing the light of the sun pouring over it, shining much like the joy in his large amethyst eyes. He reached into the backpack beside him, pulling out a canteen and opening it, as stunning as a sunny day was, there was the downside of the temperature rising. After taking a swig of the water inside, he replaced the bottle in the bag, his eyes turning back to the city below.

Sitting on his left arm was another of those machine, it had for the majority of the eight years since he had discovered it, laying discarded in the same area, just days after media reports of a massive discovery in India, despite the few details given out, everyone had held the suspicion the researchers had been hiding something. Something big. He had spoken to his grandfather about the item; together they had come to the conclusion that it appeared similar to some other-worldly artefact. But that wasn't the only diverse item in his possession, a chain around his neck led to the other, a golden upturned pyramid, made of hundreds of small golden pieces. He had been told legends about it, although there were any legends, the only factor that set it apart was the fact that he had seen the proof with his own eyes. The Millennium Puzzle; entrusted by fate to him - Yugi Mutou - baring the soul of someone; a nameless Pharaoh looking much like his twin. The purpose of the Pharaoh's return to the world remained unknown to them both, he simply referred to him as his 'Other Half'.

In Yugi's belt sat two capsule beside each other, in the time since gaining the device, he had unlocked a monster from the strange stones that had been appearing around the areas where people with the same objects had been located, learning quickly how it worked. Another came a couple of years before the sunny day of the present, a fragile monster, but one that had been entrusted to him nonetheless. A rustle from the bushes lining the forest a short distance behind him caught his attention, glancing over his shoulder without giving any clue that he had caught onto the sound. A creature shot out, a large alligator monster towering over him.

"Damn it, you can't give me a day of peace when I really desire one" Yugi growled, glaring at the beast.

Without hesitation, he leapt to his feet, scooping up his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. Another swift movement and he ejected one of the capsules from his belt, laying it into the skeleton of the device, it slammed shut instantly. Pressing his right hand against it, he aimed it at the beast, watching silently as a beam of white shot out, forming a creature in the air between him and the monster opposite. A tall elfin warrior appeared, short blonde hair falling to his shoulders similar to his amber eyes, his metallic helmet, shoulder pads and chest plate an emerald green colour. Beneath that, a copper brown shirt reaching to his waist. In addition, his attire also consisted of baggy cream trousers reaching down to where they were tucked into the large chestnut boots, a large sword in his hand visible past his blue cape.

"Celtic Guardian, attack" Yugi ordered bluntly, pointing at the opponent.

The swordsman lunged forward, swinging his sword across the skin of the creature, provoking it to wave its large claws blindly, missing him completely. Yugi watched the battle sternly, he couldn't get cocky; professionals were never cocky when they were up against a weak creature much like the one before him. The guardian thrust his sword forward, driving it into the creature's arm, the reaction a screeching erupting from the creature's large mouth. Yugi wasn't one for fighting, especially when he could understand the pain that both the humans and monsters could endure through the violence, but he wasn't prepared to sacrifice himself in the name of peace, no-one could be remembered positively with such an end, not in this world, perhaps in the world he had been born into, but there had been too many changes to determine the world as the same anymore. The swordsman withdrew his sword, gripping its end with both hands before lowering it; the creature was damaged, but not yet defeated, it was best to simply put it out of its misery, to light the path to the other world for it. Yugi said nothing as the guardian slashed across the creature's abdomen, another shriek the only reply, slowly dying away as the creature burst into thousands of bright fragments of white light, glowing like stars floating before him, dissolving into the air.

The warrior faded away, reverting back to the same white glow that had shot out from Yugi's Capsule Shooter, reversing the process and returning into the cannon, forcing the machine open and throwing the capsule into Yugi's hand. His eyes set themselves on the symbol similar to an eye engraved on the capsule, the same symbol that he had found on the Puzzle around his neck.

"What was fate's intention making us play this game? It doesn't end and it never will. There has to be something to it" Yugi mused, the entire world around him unimportant in that moment he stared at the capsule's mark. "There was something I was told. That this was the 'Wish of Fate'…what wish?"

* * *

**Next time**

_Yugi parts from the city of his childhood in a new attempt to journey into the world that had delivered to him the device on his arm. During the evening hours, he finds himself staring down a blonde man with the same creation resting upon his arm. Chapter 2 - "Journey"._


	2. Journey

**Yuugiou: Capsule Monsters - Beyond Legends**

_AU. In a world where humans and creatures live alongside each other, many legends have been formed. Now a young male, Yugi Mutou, plans to make himself known. One difference sets him apart: The Millennium Puzzle and the spirit of a Pharaoh on his side**.**_

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Journey**

Yugi stood before the counter in the Game Shop in possession of his grandfather, awaiting the elder's return, to discuss Yugi's decision further. A handful of times had he been eager to venture out into the wide world around him, the result of every attempt had dragged him back to the town of his home, his family. This time, Yugi had promised himself that he wouldn't return until he had fulfilled his quest, whatever it was; the answer would come to him. His grandfather returned to the room, undersized much like Yugi; they had always assumed that it had been his grandfather whom had given Yugi his height. His spiky hair largely rested beneath a bandana, a handful of spikes falling in a similar fashion to Yugi's.

"Yugi, are you sure you want to venture out again? Every time you leave, you return here. Maybe it's a sign, maybe its best you remain" he began with a sigh.

"No. I've been relying on you far too long. If I don't leave your nest now, I never will" Yugi protested. "I know it might get lonely, but I won't be gone forever".

"Alright then" his grandfather - Sugoroku - sighed again.

"I promise. I'll be back, but I'm going to remember why I wanted to travel. You said it yourself that Fate gave me a mission with this thing" Yugi answered, shifting his left arm forward, both sets of eyes falling onto the Capsule Shooter. "There has to be a reason Fate chose me to hold this. I've never even met anyone else with one. But they exist and they're probably travelling the world to learn what they are".

"You're right. I can't hold you back from what Fate has commanded you to do".

"I'm sorry Jii-san. But I've got to do this".

"It's fine. Travel the world as I did, learn what there is about his place. I'll be waiting right here".

Yugi nodded, each time he had decided to leave the place he had called home for the majority of his life, his grandfather had been standing behind him - after a brief moan about how lonely the place would be without Yugi's youth. All that was left was to pack and he could move on again.

A number of hours later; Yugi stood in the same room before the door, his grandfather facing him, wearing the same guilty expression. Over Yugi's shoulder, a small backpack with the supplies he would need, enough money to stock up again whenever it was required had been collected.

"Don't give me that look" Yugi chuckled. "I told you, if I find my answers, then I'll return here first to tell you what they are".

"Alright then. Just be careful".

"I will be. You know me. I'll see you when I come back. Whether it's when I plan or sooner".

Another nod from his grandfather and another brief farewell from each and Yugi turned to leave his home, opening up the door to the bright late-afternoon of the summer. The streets remained as vibrant as ever, the sun shining down upon the city. Yugi strode along the roadsides, following his usual route out of the city, the same as he had in the morning. Staring at the sky from outside the city's borders, a sense of pride began to build up inside of him.

A presence began to emerge from the Puzzle around his neck, a transparent man almost his twin stood next to him; standing slightly taller than him, his crimson eyes narrower, a number of blonde bangs standing up rather than sitting atop his brow with the others in Yugi's fashion.

"_Yugi"_ he began. _"Are you alright to do this now? You've tried before and withdrawn back to Domino"._

"No, I'm sure. I know there's no special feeling or an occasion to today, but I want to try. If I rely on Jii-san forever, I'll never learn why I was given this thing, why I unlocked the partners we have from their sleep" Yugi protested. "I don't want to be a burden anymore and I'm not going to miss this chance. The others that found these devices eight years ago must be searching for their answers too".

"_Alright then"_ the spirit nodded, withdrawing his spirit back into the Puzzle; fading before Yugi's eyes.

Yugi preceded forward, his first steps in a new journey to set himself apart from the city of his birth, of his life hitherto. He smiled once again, feeling he could really succeed where he had failed, he wouldn't get homesick; he wouldn't get himself in trouble. One day, his grandfather wouldn't be there and he wouldn't be able to run back to a pair of arms; the constant thoughts of the other individuals chosen, searching for their answers, that was his inspiration. That and to make his grandfather proud. He had travelled the world and learned the answers to questions, now it was Yugi's turn. His thoughts wandered to the types of people that he continued to associate himself with; what histories did they have? What were their personalities? What creatures had they teamed up with? The real question was though: _Was_ there anyone else that had come across the machines?

Maybe he was alone in the choice of the higher powers over the world, maybe this was a way to build his confidence and give him an opportunity to spread his wings. He couldn't posit it all to be a dream; not after eight years. The sense of loneliness crept amongst his heart, a shadow drifting around his warmth. He shook his head; why torture himself with those thoughts? Stills of the past flashed through his head; he had never been alone, even before the Pharaoh's arrival into his life. He began to repeat the message in his mind that he wasn't an outcast, Fate hadn't selected only him, there had to be someone else.

* * *

Approximately an hour later, he gazed over his shoulder; the city was gradually sinking into the scenery behind him, eventually to fade as nothing more than a memory. He smiled meekly, proud of himself and at the same time saddened by the thoughts of the people he was leaving behind. He had cared for them so deeply; he still had a mobile to contact them on. But to bring them with him, to be able to have more than memories that would fade away over time and sink into death, that was what he wanted. Would that be all that was left of him when he died, whether it was naturally or at the hands of a vicious monster? Memories and pictures? Nothing more than a name on a headstone? The images snapped him out of his thoughts, shaking his head violently. Doubt had crept into him alongside the loneliness. He cursed himself for the negative thoughts; the Pharaoh would have surely scolded him had he emerged before Yugi had woken again. He stepped forward again, the sun had begun to sink lower to his right; soon the sky would become a bright mixture of oranges and pinks, perhaps every much like a rainbow reaching across Japan, spreading across the globe. He smiled gently at the images of the coloured skies he had witnessed outside of the city before. The past was the past, the path towards the future before his present. He lifted his head high, the smile remaining a part of his expression.

"I won't fail everyone. I'll make it this time" he called wholeheartedly, stepping forward proudly again.

His pace quickened, not through impatience or the need to rush, but out of pure inspiration, the longing to see what the world looked like. He wanted to see; he couldn't continue at a casual pace, he would miss the world he had desired.

Around him, the scenery began to change, civilization fading into meadows, forests, mountains, even a lake. All surrounding him, all the nature his power had been born from. The sky overhead began to adjust by the sun's descending, becoming a sea of orange, slightly resembling a sea of fading blood, clouds becoming oranges and pinks. Yugi had passed into another large open lea, mountains to his left, the sun to his right and nothing visible ahead of him. It wouldn't be long before exhaustion caught up with him, he'd need to rest. But simply lying down and falling asleep in the middle of the empty plain wasn't an option. A shadow began to slip along the greensward, someone was approaching. Yugi's eyes narrowed into a cautious glare, his right hand hovering above the capsules in his belt, advancing in the scenario it was nothing more then a traveller such as himself.

"Hey. Who're you, spiky?" a confident voice came.

Yugi's eyes reverted back to their usual appearance, the prepared antagonism withdrawn. Before him stood a lean blond man. His hair tinted in the light of the setting sun, reflecting the colour, his eyes remained a vigorous hazel. Yugi's eyes fell to his left arm, resisting the urge to gasp at what he found: a Capsule Shooter identical to the one he possessed.

"Me? What about you? How did you get that thing?" Yugi responded, pointing to the machine.

"This?" the man asked, lifting his arm and gazing down at it. "I got it years ago, after a night when people said stars fell. I reckoned it was something from space".

"So you hold those creatures too" Yugi muttered. "Why are you heading towards Domino then?"

"Domino? I head anywhere nowadays. I'm trying to find out why this thing is here".

"So you're searching for the same answer as me" Yugi whispered, analysing the man's words.

"What are you doing out here then?" the man called back.

"Same as you. Looking for answers, wondering why I was given this device" Yugi answered, joy of finding another individual so early welled inside of him, not even a smile to mark it on the surface. "As an answer to your first question; I'm Yugi Mutou".

"Katsuya Jonouchi" the blond replied with a grin.

"I'm glad to meet you, Jonouchi. I was wondering if I really was the only one that had this Capsule Shooter".

"'Capsule Shooter'? Never thought of a name for it before. It'll work though, I was tired of this thing not having a name and having to refer to it as nothing" Jonouchi muttered, staring at the device again. "Hey Yugi, you're pretty cool. Maybe we should accompany each other. After all, we'll have a better chance searching together".

"Okay then. I'll trust you" Yugi answered, the smile starting to surface of his overwhelming relief.

"How about before the sun sets, we have ourselves a little match, see what we each have?" Jonouchi requested.

"Alright. I'll enjoy going up against creatures that don't just lunge at me without reason" Yugi called, smirking at the challenge set.

"Cool" Jonouchi answered, slipping a capsule out of his belt and slipping it into his Capsule Shooter. Pointing it toward the sky, a golden beam of light shot out, forming a creature at the top. "Alright Baby Dragon, we've got ourselves a real fight!"

The light's aura began to shrink, fading into a bright orange scaled dragon; large playful azure eyes staring down at Yugi. The shorter combatant grinned confidently at the creature, at the same time, trying to avoid offending Jonouchi. Instead, he loaded his own capsule, pointing it in the direction of the petit dragon. A matching ray of light shot out, his swordsman leaping out into the battle.

"Celtic Guardian, keep your guard up" he commanded.

The elfin warrior tightened his grip on his sword, glaring at the dragon; Jonouchi had the advantage, but sending his other creature would be suicide. Yugi pointed in the direction of the dragon.

"Celtic Guardian, try and strike it down!" he called.

The warrior leapt forward, sword by his side while he soared up towards the creature. Jonouchi grinned, it was a strategy he had knew all too well.

"Baby Dragon, dodge it. Then attack him back" he instructed.

The small winged-beast shot out of Celtic Guardian's path, leaving him soaring from his leap without any direction. The dragon lowered itself behind him and before Yugi could call anything, a fireball shot from its mouth, slamming into the warrior's back, sending him tumbling violently to the ground. A veil of smoke rose from the ground, rising from the small crater created by Celtic Guardian's collision with the soil. Despite the friendly nature of the battle, Yugi growled in frustration, he hadn't suffered a defeat since meeting with his creatures, he was hoping now wasn't the time for that record to break.

"Celtic Guardian, watch out!" he called desperately.

Jonouchi grinned, yelling for his dragon to fire another attack at the wounded soldier. Celtic Guardian had forced himself to his feet when the fireball began to glow fiercely. Yugi stared in shock, unsure what he could do another than try to dodge, even then, Baby Dragon's speed was far more advanced. The ball shots down towards the elfin soldier, Yugi couldn't say a word; his mind ran through scenarios, unable to find one to save his monster. The Puzzle around his neck began to glow, catching his eyes. Jonouchi caught the light in the corner of his eye, he didn't turn his full attention to it, assuming it to be another creature; he wanted to see the final strike.

"Celtic Guardian, turn your sword!" another voice came.

Jonouchi's focus on the battle broke, that wasn't Yugi's voice.

He turned to his opponent, only Yugi wasn't standing there; the Pharaoh had annexed his role as Jonouchi's opponent. Jonouchi rose an eyebrow, unsure what it was about Yugi that seemed different; they had just met, he couldn't determine what Yugi's standard behaviour in battle was. At the same time as Jonouchi's distraction; Celtic Guardian turned it sword as commanded, the fire slamming into it, sinking into the metal.

"Now, launch a counterattack, strike it down!"

The words broke Jonouchi's focus on his opponent, turning back to the battle between them. Celtic Guardian was already upon his dragon when Jonouchi's eyes met him, swinging his sword down onto the dragon.

"Baby Dragon!" Jonouchi cried out.

The creature squealed when the red-hot steel blade touched it, slashing across without hesitation. Jonouchi stared in disbelief, watching his dragon fall to the ground in the same way as Celtic Guardian had. Another crash and more smoke and parts of the earth rose, he smiled, stepping forward.

"Alright. I can see where this is going" he called, raising his hands up in defeat, grinning. "I surrender".

Celtic Guardian landed by Baby Dragon, holding his hand out for the creature. The movement surprised Jonouchi who watched. Seeing the gesture - one he had never seen nor had ever expected - he could see his dragon also perplexed, reaching out with one of its front claws. Celtic Guardian pulled it up while Jonouchi approached, the dragon yapped happily at the sight of its master. Jonouchi wrapped his arms around the small creature, holding like any pet before turning to the Pharaoh.

"You're not Yugi, are you?" he asked with a smile.

"Correct. I'm just a spirit that lies within Yugi Mutou's Millennium Puzzle. The shadow to his light, he calls me his 'Other Half'" the Pharaoh answered.

"Another Yugi? I should have known there'd be something different about him. Having a Capsule Shooter should have been enough to tell me" Jonouchi chuckled. "So then…what's _your_ name?"

"I'm afraid I don't remember. When Yugi and I met, I couldn't tell him anything about me. At one time, he did call me 'Yami', just a way to refer to me by a name and at the same time what I am".

"Alright then, I'll call you that too" Jonouchi called.

The Pharaoh stared at Jonouchi, just waiting for him to repeat his words, he wasn't sure if he had heard the blond's offer correctly. Jonouchi nodded rather than opening his mouth, causing the Pharaoh to smile. Celtic Guardian vanished in the same light he had emerged from, returning to the Capsule Shooter, the container of its aura shooting out and into the Pharaoh's hand. The Puzzle began to glow once the capsule was returned to its slot, the sight of a second capsule catching Jonouchi's eye. When he looked back up, he could see Yugi staring back.

"Sorry about hurting your dragon, Jonouchi. I didn't mean for us to go that far" he stated, bowing apologetically.

"It's fine. I bet you've killed hundreds of monsters to think up those tactics" Jonouchi laughed, shaking a hand cautiously, hoping his dragon wouldn't slip from his arms.

Together; Yugi and Jonouchi continued to trek across the greensward, eventually coming across the edge of a forest close by. Jonouchi grinned, turning to Yugi wearing a grin.

"How about we find ourselves somewhere to sleep in there?" he asked with a laugh.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Yugi inquired.

"It's fine. I've slept in places more risky than here. We can set up a fire and have something to eat".

Yugi nodded; clearly Jonouchi was a character that wouldn't change his mind. Yugi followed him in through the trees acting as the barrier for the woodland. The sky overhead began to darken, the bright orange of the evening sinking into the midnight blue of night, the moon the only supply of light before the stars would fill the sky with glory.

Once the pair had stumbled upon a clearing they could use, Yugi brought out his Celtic Guardian again, having the warrior use his sword to cut away at a tree's branches for firewood, fortunately without disturbing any of the creatures living in the forest. Jonouchi's Baby Dragon lit the wood to supply the fire Jonouchi had hoped for. Yugi watched Jonouchi over the flames during their meal, their monsters resting inside their capsules once again.

"Jonouchi, I'm impressed. I wouldn't have thought of using our monsters to make a campfire" he called cheerfully.

"I've been travelling for a while; I knew my Baby Dragon had potentials outside of battle. Besides, your Guardian makes things a lot easier. Usually I'd have to go and hunt for some decent wood and find myself fighting more" Jonouchi laughed.

"Jonouchi…how did you come across your Capsule Shooter? I can see why you were chosen" Yugi asked.

"Eh?" Jonouchi sounded, his laughter paused.

"You're so resourceful; you're strong and confident as well. I can see why you had been picked by Fate. You're the perfect person to live alongside these monsters, you've given them some real experience" Yugi answered, beaming the entire time.

"Me? I may be resourceful, but I've never seen a monster lend a hand to the loser of a battle. You've given your Celtic Guardian a heart, it knows compassion. So I think I can understand why you found your Capsule Shooter as well" Jonouchi replied, grinning smugly. "But honestly, I'm not the only person I know to have one".

"What?" Yugi gasped, staring in shock at Jonouchi.

"Yeah. You see, after the night people claim stars fell from the dark sky; my sister and I were playing close to home when we found this sitting there" Jonouchi explained, the memories of that day running through his mind, the images of his sister he had stored in his mind. "Neither of us was sure what it was. My sister was worried about it, I had to be the big brother and protect her. But she was curious as well as scared. We agreed to reach for it together. Just when we touched it; it began to glow, a bright light like the sun. We would have run away screaming, but the light was too intense for us to see which way we would have been heading. There was a feeling around my left arm, the light had split that Capsule Shooter into two and both my sister and I possessed one each".

"Your sister? I wonder what Fate's intention for her was. Why isn't she travelling with you?" Yugi inquired.

"I didn't want her to get hurt. We've seen the monsters that attack, she has a couple of monsters, but they're not strong enough to defend her. I was always worried that perhaps we would get separated or there could be too many monsters for my Baby Dragon to handle. I wanted to protect her, so I promised I would return to her when I got stronger, when I got some answers. With you about, maybe I really can fulfil that promise, we can become a powerful team that no-one can overcome. Yugi, I know it's a lot to ask seeing as we just met, but…I want us to grow together, awaken more monsters so I can return to Shizuka head held high".

"It's fine with me, Jonouchi. I guess I have a similar goal. I promise my Jii-san that I would go home to him when I got some answers myself" Yugi answered, smiling at the prospect of being able to help Jonouchi, he had already found a use. "To get those answers, I've got to grow along this journey, toughen myself up. To be honest, I've tried this journey before. But every time I would run home because I missed the life I left there. With you standing by me, I won't have that desire anymore. I knew the moment I saw you that you could help me grow enough to carry out the journey I had waited for since the day I found my Capsule Shooter".

Jonouchi mirrored Yugi's smile, he too seemed glad that he could help someone other than himself, they both had someone waiting for them, somewhere to return to called home when their journey would end. Jonouchi stretched his arms, yawning widely, Yugi chuckled at the sight; he had never encountered anyone like Jonouchi before. Jonouchi was rubbing his eye, when Yugi gazed up at him again.

"I suppose we should get some rest then, huh" the blond mumbled tiredly.

"Sounds good to me" Yugi answered with a nod.

He pulled the second capsule from his belt, loading it into his Capsule Shooter, Jonouchi stared confused. He couldn't understand why a monster had to be called from its capsule when they were about to sleep. He twisted his head quickly, waiting for a hiding monster to lunge at him. The light in front of him caught his attention, he turned back to find himself staring at a small fuzzy creature with green claws and large yellow eyes holding blue irises.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing at the miniature monster.

"This is my Kuriboh" Yugi answered, wrapping his arms around the hairy creature, looking rather like a young child. "I found him a couple of years ago close to the edge of Domino City".

"''Kuriboh'? Looks like something that fell of a giant cat" Jonouchi mumbled uncomfortably.

Kuriboh growled, reaching its claws out and attempting to scratch Jonouchi in a revenge attack, failing to do so. Yugi chuckled, patting the top of the creature; eventually it ignored Jonouchi and his remark, almost purring to the gentle touch.

"I was thinking that maybe I could use Kuriboh as like a pillow. At the same time, it can spend some time out of its capsule. I haven't really had the chance to bring it out lately" Yugi stated, shifting his gaze from Kuriboh to Jonouchi.

"So I'm some sort of teacher in being resourceful?" Jonouchi laughed, folding his arms over his chest.

"Perhaps" Yugi chuckled. "Kuriboh, you wouldn't mind, would you?"

The creature shook its body, doing its best to reply to Yugi's question, it enjoyed just being around him. It hopped out of his arms and sat upon the ground, Yugi smiled gratefully at it. He lay down gently, resting his head cautiously, Kuriboh purred happily. Yugi's eyes fell closed, drifting into a merited sleep. Jonouchi smiled watching Yugi fading from the world around them.

"You're one of a kind, you are Yugi. I'm glad we could meet. Honestly, I thought you were just some weirdo until I noticed that Capsule Shooter" he muttered, his words merely thoughts aloud. "Together, you and I can make our families and homes proud. This journey, I'm glad I went along with it. We'll become the greatest legends ever. Together, we'll…"

His eyes turned skywards, staring up at the lights of space beginning to reveal themselves in the night sky, the melody he had always associated with Shizuka running through his mind, the sound of piano keys following each other.

"We can fulfil whatever it is you think Fate set for us".

* * *

**Next time**

_Yugi and Jonouchi venture into a ravine rumoured to be surrounded by vicious creatures. Yugi is beginning to find his fighting spirit, but at the same time, the duo find themselves in the line of fire. Someone watching over the battle may hold the key to their safety. Will they be ally or enemy? Chapter 3 - "Ravine"._


	3. Ravine

****

Yuugiou: Capsule Monsters - Beyond Legends

_AU. In a world where humans and creatures live alongside each other, many legends have been formed. Now a young male, Yugi Mutou, plans to make himself known. One difference sets him apart: The Millennium Puzzle and the spirit of a Pharaoh on his side._

* * *

**Chapter 3 - Ravine**

The sun had half-risen over the horizon when Yugi's eyes opened, a portion of his vision shrouded in the dirt-coloured fur of Kuriboh. He lifted his head up gradually, hoping that removing his head wouldn't awaken the creature so early. He rubbed his eyes wearily, sensing the presence of the Pharaoh within him in a different way from usual, the way in which they would communicate. The spirit appeared beside him, his eyes fixated upon Jonouchi who continued to dream opposite them.

"Yami, is everything alright?" Yugi inquired.

"_Are you really going to travel with Jonouchi?" _Yami asked, his eyes continuing to observe the sleeping blonde.

"He seems trustworthy. I've never had a travelling partner that isn't a spirit or a creature resting in a capsule" Yugi answered. "You saw how he fights yesterday".

"_I did"_ Yami replied, nodding his head. _"I do believe he's both trustworthy and strong, he has a noble cause for travelling. He must want to create his own legend and grow in order to protect his sister. I just wonder what coming across him meant. We're never teamed up with anyone during the times of travel"._

"You have a point there, but Jonouchi must mean this time is _definitely _going to be different" Yugi mumbled. "I had a feeling when we left the city, a feeling I've never had before. I really think this time we could be onto something; it could be something to do with your past, it may be something else. But it's something".

Yami nodded again, watching Jonouchi continuing his rest. Behind them, the sun began to emerge over the treetops, the mountains in the distance no longer able to hide the day star. Jonouchi's face screwed up in frustration at the veil of light pouring over him, he turned himself over, resting on the right side of his body. Yugi smiled at the sight, he had never truly felt close to anyone other than those around him constantly. Very few outside of Yami, his grandfather, his mother and his partners. He pushed himself from the ground, his knees pressed against the soft soil until he reached the stage of standing, brushing the grains of soil that clutched to his trouser legs.

He didn't say a word to awaken either Jonouchi or Kuriboh, instead, he turned to the charcoaled remains of the branches they had used for a fire, the flames had eaten all they could use for fuel and died a while before the present sunrise. There was something about sleeping in the land that nature had to offer that brought peace to him; like camping with one's father or a band of friends. The city offered opportunities; but life raced by there, something was always happening; people couldn't learn to slow down for even a day. There were no pressures in the wider world.

Behind him, Jonouchi's resistance to the sunlight had failed in an unconscious roll back onto his left; he gave another moan before Yugi turned to see him sitting, his hands rubbing against his eyelids, yawning in morning fatigue. Yugi shook his head with a smile holding in his urge to chuckle lightly at the attitude of the blonde fighter first thing in the morning.

"What time is it?" he moaned.

"The sun's rising, so I'd say not too early" Yugi answered, glancing over his shoulder at the rising sun.

Jonouchi stretched his arms above his head, muttering about how early he had been woken by the sun's light. Yugi paid no attention to his words, his thoughts focused on the fact that he finally had a travelling companion to explore alongside. He lips curled into a smile, glad that fate had finally begun to shine upon him, giving him a real chance.

"Hey Yugi, what'll we do for breakfast?" Jonouchi called, anxious for a meal in order to start his day.

"There's a river close by, isn't there?" Yugi questioned, pointing to the southern direction lying to his left.

"Yeah, I think so. Hey, I get it; we'll fish" the blonde declared, leaping to his feet.

"My Celtic Guardian would be helpful in gathering fish and your Baby Dragon could start another fire for us to cook them over" Yugi added.

"Sure" Jonouchi muttered, allowing the fingers of his hand to touch upon the golden capsule housing his dragon's existence. "But I've heard rumours about that river. That it runs into a huge canyon, it's a risky path".

"A canyon?" Yugi echoed; interest peaked in his tone. "Sounds fun, we could always do with a change. I've always been so timid and worrisome about travelling. But with such a brave spirit like you around, Jonouchi, I don't feel the need to worry".

"Are you sure?" Jonouchi queried, raising an eyebrow sceptically. "That place is dangerous. Not to the point where anyone has died…yet, but still somewhere people prefer to enjoy".

"But I bet we'll get a great view of where to go from up there" Yugi replied, the corners of his mouth rising steadily into a smile, his eyes lighting up with the thrill of such a view. "Fields spreading across the land, cities, villages, all to the mountains at the horizon".

"This is really something you want to do" Jonouchi muttered following a sigh. He knew defeat was inevitable; Yugi was just as stubborn as he. "Alright then, but there could be other monsters up there ready to take us on".

"And we'll be ready" Yugi called, raising his fists to level his shoulders.

"Right" Jonouchi answered nodding. "Now let's go get us some fish!"

Punching the air enthusiastically, he raced in the direction of the river they had discussed, Yugi smiled and shook his head. Behind him, Kuriboh continued to lie forgotten; Yugi turned to the creature and directed his Capsule Shooter at it. The miniature creature faded into the same golden light it would emerge from, sucked into the tunnel of the cannon and returning to its capsule. The tiny golden container shot up into Yugi's free hand. Without much time to wish the small creature an extended peaceful rest, he turned his back on the charcoaled remains of the previous campfire and grabbed his rucksack, snatching the additional sack that Jonouchi had left. Rushing after the taller blonde, he cried out about the blonde's forlorn possessions.

The roar of the water rushing between the banks filled Yugi's ears incessantly, a soothing sound for something so fast, so violent in the wrong conditions. He seated himself upon one of few small rock formations on the back of the raging water, staring at his wavering reflection. The sound of Jonouchi's mumbling, desperate for food, came to his attention; he turned his head to see the blonde sitting on the dirt without a care for his clothes, sighing tiredly.

"I told you not to push yourself" the shorter repeated.

"And you expect that we'll be able to get to the top of the ravine? You must be a regular daredevil past your 'timid and worrisome' attitude to this journeying about" Jonouchi protested. "I thought we were here to catch us some breakfast".

"We will. Besides, we can use this chance to save up some water for if the climb is troublesome" Yugi answered without a hint of anything more than care for the blonde in his words. "There wouldn't be any point climbing up there if we get exhausted before we're even close".

"Are you directing that at me because of this? My legs were tired and my body isn't completely awake" Jonouchi moaned, narrowing his eyes at Yugi.

Yugi chuckled lightly at Jonouchi's response, feeling a drop of sweat of pure anxiety to Jonouchi's expression sliding down out of the blonde's sight. Before he could proceed with his claims, Yugi pressed down on the holder in his belt, the capsule holding his elfin swordsman shooting up to his palm. Without another word, he slipped it into the Shooter on his arm, aiming it to the empty air between himself and the blonde, firing it towards the sky. The swordsman appeared just as he had before, lunging towards the gentle river, sword ready to pierce whatever prey he would meet. Jonouchi clutched the capsule housing his Baby Dragon's spirit as the warrior hit the water, ending the peaceful flow with a chaotic uprise; drops of the clear liquid shimmering in the light of the sun, floating like stars in the day.

Jonouchi watched the display without a word, impressed by how something so disrupting could be made to be so gentle, he glanced in the corner of his vision, seeing Yugi smiling at the movements of his warrior, even if they were to kill some of the inhabitants, they were only going to target enough to survive, Yugi was just as kind and mellow as a person with other-worldly monsters could get, he would spare as many lives as was possible. The edges of the blonde's mouth curved into a smile, loading the capsule into the Capsule Shooter sitting upon his arm, aiming it above him. Just as with Celtic Guardian; a ray of gold emerged, forming his Baby Dragon which roared as fiercely as it could. Jonouchi signalled to the creature to lower itself to his level, the dragon did as the wordless order had instructed, almost purring once it hovered in front of him.

"Come on pal, we'll get some wood to set up another fire while Yugi and Celtic Guardian gather some fish" he commanded.

He turned his back on the miniature dragon and the river, retreating back into the edges of the forest. He envied Yugi's compassion; using as little as possible, wasting nothing, he could see why the comrade would do well had he the confidence to travel beyond his reaches. Halting before a struggling tree, he smirked having found his target. He turned his head back to his partner, nodding his head for the dragon to receive his feelings about the target. The dragon roared meekly, firing a ball of flames to the base of the trunk. A miniature explosion followed, flames eating away at the single support for the tree, eventually leading to its decent to the ground, slamming fiercely before the pair. Jonouchi smiled at his partner, who moved forward and began to slash at the wood with its small claws to divide the lumber into transportable pieces. As each fragment came apart, Jonouchi collected them in his arms to the point where his arms were filled. The majority of the tree had been used up, leaving scraps of torn chippings and slashed chunks of lumber lying without use, Jonouchi turned to his comrade.

"Hey pal, you think you can carry some of that? Seems a waste to just leave it here" he suggested.

The dragon nodded, picking up a few of the large pieces leaving the bare minimum for the forest to hold onto. Together they made their way back towards the river, seeing Yugi and Kuriboh gather the fish that Celtic Guardian had caught, said warrior had returned onto dry land.

"Yugi, we've got our part done. Seems you still beat us" the blonde exclaimed with a smirk.

"It wasn't a contest" Yugi called back smiling with content. "Your job would have taken longer, especially with how much wood you've brought back. There should be enough fish for all of us".

"'All of us'?" Jonouchi repeated.

"The monsters in our capsules must get hungry too. At least I hope they do, I'm not keen on having them fight and then not tending to their wounds or rewarding them. It's not like the way someone would care for a pet, but it's just my way of reminding them they're not slaves" Yugi replied, his eyes set on his two creatures the entire time.

Jonouchi's eyes fell shut, once again Yugi had astounded him with his attitude towards the other worldly creatures they had been partnered with. The rare monuments that had appeared had brought them together had given Yugi simply more than creatures to battle and live alongside him; he had gained a wisdom on their existence, one that no-one else he had encountered seemed to have taken in: that these monsters were their equals. He approached Yugi casually, laying the branches and portions of the tree he had gathered in a pile, moving back at the time his dragon released another ball of fire to light the pieces; warm flames appeared as a result. Using a number of the thinner branches; Yugi and Jonouchi were able to pierce them through the asphyxiated fish, leaving their corpses to warm over the flames licking their forms. During the time, Yugi's eyes rose to the bright blue sky, clouds swimming over their heads in the endless firmament.

"Hey, Jonouchi" he sounded.

The blonde turned his eyes to meet the side of Yugi's face, recognizing his quaint smile painted upon his face. He opened his mouth, uttering a single sound to respond.

"Hm?"

"Have you ever wondered what it's like to fly?" Yugi inquired.

"Where's this coming from? Is this to do with what you expect at the top of the ravine?" the blonde asked, taken aback by the sudden topic.

Yugi shook his head silently. "I mean the sky…Look at it. It stretches forever; I wonder what it's like to be that high. To see the world from so far above, like the height the clouds gaze down on us during their time like that. I've always dreamt of flying. I suppose I was really hoping for a chance to fly when I found my Capsule Shooter and realized what it was".

"Well…my Baby Dragon can fly. And it has enough strength to carry someone upon its back" the blonde replied. "You could always have a flight with him".

Yugi's head shook again, his eyes falling after Jonouchi's offer. "It wouldn't be the same; I'm hoping that I can be granted my own creature to fly upon. It's not that I don't trust your dragon, but it wouldn't feel right flying with someone else's creature. It wouldn't be my flight".

"You're a really determined kid, you know that?" Jonouchi muttered.

"I'm just as old as you. I bet you don't believe you're a kid" Yugi answered, glancing over to the blonde.

"I suppose not" Jonouchi chuckled nervously. "I'm sorry".

"It's nothing. I've had all sorts of people mistake my age" Yugi answered with a light laugh.

He leaned forward, pulling one of the several fish hanging over the flames, examining the scorched skin. Satisfied with the quality, he handed it to Kuriboh, who held it in its paws, staring at Yugi as though it had no idea what to do; that was what Jonouchi believed watching it until it before to nibble upon the fish's back. The fact it understood surprised the blonde, seeing Yugi hand another to his warrior in the corner of his eye, he smiled once again, removing another fish and handing it to his dragon who stared at it for a moment before its teeth sank themselves into it. The human pair followed suit and began their meal, living off the land felt so rewarding, especially with someone else around, they had both been travelling alone for so long; it felt pleasant to have company of their own race by their side. Even in a matter of hours of knowing each other, they already felt close to one another, glad that they had confronted each other the previous evening. Yugi's eyes rose to the ravine towering in front of them from the distance it stood, while Jonouchi had been someone he had come to meet and grow close to, he wondered if there was going to be another or if they would remain a duo for the duration of their journey across the country.

Silence fell amongst the group while the fish were devoured, enough for them to keep their strength ahead of their ascent to the peek of the ravine, what felt like a climb to the sky. The sun had slipped further across the sky by the time their meal had come to an end, shortening Jonouchi's patience to scale the climb after his spirit had been warmed; he leapt to his feet, pointing to the elevation.

"Let's go and show that place what we're made of" he exclaimed proudly. "It doesn't matter how many monsters are waiting for us, we'll take them all down".

Yugi chuckled softly at the sudden burst of enthusiasm that had relit the fire within Jonouchi. "What a turnaround after a short while. He's more determined than I was earlier".

Picking himself from the ground, Yugi nodded to Jonouchi's claims before he made his way to the river. The blonde turned back to see the three creatures standing around the burning flames, waves of water from the river beginning to fall upon them to quell their fierce crackling. What Jonouchi found to be the source was Yugi kneeling on the bank, lifting as much water as possible in his cupped hands and throwing them to the source of heat, eventually making an impact. Shaking his head, the blonde joined Yugi by the river's edge, throwing as much water as he could onto the pile of charcoaled bark and dying embers.

Once the heat had died and the fire had been expunged, the pair turned to their monsters. While it felt refreshing for the creatures to live outside of their capsules, neither wanted them to be worn by the ascent ahead of them, especially if the rumours Jonouchi had spoken of were true and hoards of monsters were waiting to ambush them. The three reverted into golden rays, returning to the Capsule Shooters which then ejected the capsules into the boys' hands waiting over the devices.

"Alright, let's do this!" Jonouchi called, punching the air enthusiastically.

Yugi nodded his head in agreement, following the blonde's strides towards the climb towards the end of their path. There was no sign of any other life by the time they had reached the base of the slope, the sun slowly working its way directly over their heads; time was going to be moving on. It wasn't a concern for Jonouchi who began the ascension with a bounce in his steps, Yugi followed without displaying his hope and excitement, preferring to conserve his energy in case they were to need it.

* * *

The climb wasn't steep, neither of the males had requested a rest and within a short while, they found themselves at the peak of the slope, gazing at kilometres of land; fields, forests and towns stretching to the horizon where mountains and more woodland rested. The sight was one that brought joy to Yugi's spirit for the chance in witnessing so much at such a simple height. From within the Puzzle hanging around his neck, Yami could also view the sights, feeling Yugi's overwhelming delight at the amazing world around him. A world filled with humans, monsters, untouched nature, man-made dwellings; all co-operating to make the world a suitable place for survival. Jonouchi crossed his arms over his chest at the field of view he found himself holding, impressed by the world he had once despised. It was unlike anything he had seen before, if only Shizuka could be with them to witness the spectacle of the country - the _world_ - around them.

Yugi turned his head to Jonouchi, the smile that was proof of his pride in being a part of such a world hung on, his eyes lit up. Had he not met the blonde, he doubted he could have moved to the peak of the slope and missed the view.

"Jonouchi…thank you" he spoke, his throat tightening at his ecstasy.

"Thanks? For what?" Jonouchi inquired.

"For accompanying me here. For being my friend" Yugi answered, feeling tears of joy building in his eyes.

"Hey, hey. What's up with those?" Jonouchi asked, smiling uneasily at the sight of the drops hanging onto Yugi's eyes.

"It's nothing" Yugi replied, wiping his sleeve against his damp eyes. "This place just makes me feel so glad to be alive. It makes me feel better that we met and could make it here together. That we can move on so much, maybe find the answers we seek".

Jonouchi's smile softened, Yugi was pouring his heart out to him about his ambitions, the dreams he had been waiting to fulfil since discovering the Capsule Shooter so long ago. The amity in the silence was short-lived when a low growling reached Jonouchi's ears, he glanced over his shoulder, the breeze was far too gentle to make such sinister noises, his brow creased suspiciously, fingers hanging close by Baby Dragon's capsule. The concerns he had voiced in his half-awake state seemed to be coming true, they stood a short distance from the edge of the ravine, the river flowing violently a number of feet below them.

"Yugi…" he emitted in a low voice.

The oblivious comrade turned his head, noting Jonouchi's expression. His amazement of the views around them came to an end, waiting for a time when he could resume them.

"What is it?" he inquired.

"I think that something else is here" the blonde answered.

"Something else?" Yugi echoed, his eyes shooting from place to place in order to determine the source of Jonouchi's suspicions.

Emerging before them arose creatures looking like the roots of trees crushed together in their crimpled forms, standing like snakes with arms. At the base of their main bodies, the rest continued to rise like a tail, three barbs stuck out of the distorted figures, similar outgrowths appeared emerging from their chest, backs and hands, creating vicious claws. The heads were merely grotesque mounds arising from the malformed creatures. Jonouchi cringed at the sight of them, taken aback by how hideous the rumoured creatures appeared. The blonde's hand shot down to the capsule holding his Baby Dragon, loading it into the Capsule Shooter on his arm as quickly as possible. Aiming the device at the creatures, the stream of light fired to them, forming his creature.

"Alright pal, let's get rid of these guys" he commanded, pointing to the disfigured beings.

The dragon shot forward, a sphere of flames building between its jaws. Yugi watched on while the ball shot forward, exploding against the ground just before the creatures, ear-piercing screeches poured into his head. What had been rumoured to be so deadly seemed to have disposed of without any trouble. The tales of the creatures continued to live when the smoke cleared, seeing the creatures standing with little sign of injury, Jonouchi growled, looking over his shoulder to Yugi.

"These guys are tough. We'll have to fight them with both of our guys just to stop them" he called.

Yugi nodded. "We've got nowhere to run; this must be how they trap people. How the rumours that they were so deadly were able to begin".

Yugi removed the capsule holding Celtic Guardian from his belt, slipping it into the Shooter on his arm and directed it close to Jonouchi's Baby Dragon. The elfin warrior emerged from the stream of light, baring his sword ready for combat. Neither side made a move in the moment of tension, a stressed silence passed in the pause of battle. Interrupting the stand-off, Celtic Guardian lunged forward, swinging his sword menacingly. The disfigured creatures were unfazed by the assault, screeching in the same manner when the blade cut through their skin, only to continue slithering and hissing like nothing had happened after a moment. A faint shade of blue washed over Jonouchi's face, he brought his hand up nearby, curling the narrow fingers into a weak, half-hearted fist.

"This isn't working" he stated meekly.

It was the first time Yugi had seen the blonde completely lose not only faith, but his entire fighting spirit. Despite having a point that they stood between a miniature army of deformed creatures and the river below, Yugi's mind questioned why Jonouchi had lost his usual spark, surely he had been in tougher spots and pulled through. He gazed over his shoulder, the other side felt so far away over the river beneath; it wasn't raging fiercely, but it wasn't as calm as downstream. His neck twisted, turning his head to meet with the sight of Jonouchi beside him.

"Jonouchi, we've got to do something. Couldn't your Baby Dragon ferry us across to the other side?" he called.

Jonouchi's finger and thumb snapped apart. "There's an idea!" he beamed.

"You go first, Celtic Guardian and I can hold them off while you get out of reach" Yugi insisted with a smile.

"If you're sure…" Jonouchi replied. He wasn't one for leaving comrades behind, another aspect of him Yugi admired.

The blonde signalled for his dragon to retreat, leaving Yugi to move behind Celtic Guardian. The elfin warrior tightened his hands around the large blade, waiting for the order to strike. Jonouchi hauled himself onto Baby Dragon's back, the creature's wings began to move, giving Yugi the perfect opportunity to raise his sword as the blonde's shield.

"Celtic Guardian, strike them down" he ordered, his finger directed at the distorted creatures.

The warrior lunged forward again, even if he couldn't completely destroy the monsters, the least he could do was damage them, even better, discover how to destroy at least one. His sword pierced the skin of the centre being, provoking another shrill shriek, Yugi's eyes narrowed in resisting the temptation of covering his ears from the sound. The warrior didn't remove his sword; instead, he began to thrust it left then right, cutting away at the being's chest. The others hissed at the display, the majority of them lunging at the swordsman, biting and scratching at him. A couple stayed back, possibly out of fear they would endure the same fate, instead they turned their attention to Yugi. His eyes didn't meet them, he remained fixed on his Celtic Guardian, hoping that they swordsman could fight back against the alliance of creatures that had thrown themselves upon the warrior. Jonouchi's voice met his ears; he turned his head to see the blonde standing on the other side of the ravine, his dragon floating by his side and ready to convey him across. Yugi smiled at the sight, glad that Jonouchi could get out of harm's way.

From the other side of his position, the creatures snarled vicious, lunging forward; to Yugi. The assault caught the blonde's eyes, shifting his head to focus upon them, the half-hearted smile he had held opposite Yugi faded completely.

"Yugi!"

Yugi's head whipped around, Jonouchi's tone and expression were enough to unnerve him, even before the sight of two beings diving to him. He stepped back unconsciously, inching closer to the edge of the land he stood upon, chilling fear running down his spine. One of the creatures raised its claw, bringing down to him. He called out; raising his arms above his head defensively, Celtic Guardian broke away from the pack surrounding him, swinging his sword fiercely at the two creatures, able to cut through the back of the closer one, the one that wasn't Yugi's real threat. The claw of the uninjured creature fell to Yugi's arms, cutting through the fabric of his jacket, the weight enough to knock off his balance. Before he could even register what was happening, he found the ground disappear behind his right foot, unable to grab onto the edge of land before he found himself falling. A yell escaped his mouth, his eyes could see exactly what was happening, but his body was frozen in the shock, Jonouchi's voice echoed in his ears, calling his name again.

The elfin warrior standing behind the creature responsible for Yugi's descent tightened his grip on the blade in his possession, thrusting it through the back of the creature until the tip of the blade emerged from its chest. A bone-chilling screech filled the air for a moment before coming to an eerily sudden halt. Yugi crashed against the water before silence could fall once again. Jonouchi's eyes widened in horror at seeing his travelling partner swallowed by the river.

"_Yugi!_"

Without a second though, he leapt from the cliff-top, diving through the fall between the land and the water, his body hit the water just as Yugi's had. The latter's head rose, his hair surprisingly still fashioned always; he gazed up for any sign of Jonouchi, finding nothing. The blonde crashed into the surface, sending spray of the collision around him.

"Jonouchi" Yugi called.

"Yugi. You alright?" Jonouchi inquired, making his way towards the other.

"I'm fine. What are you doing here?" Yugi asked.

"I guess I got ambitious, I was worried" Jonouchi chuckled nervously. His eyes turned from his comrade to the dragon still hovering over the torn land. "It's lucky this river isn't as rough as it could be. Baby Dragon, come down here!"

The petit orange dragon began to descend gracefully, wings spread out to their limits. Another deafening screech erupted and halted, catching Yugi's attention; from the position he floated, he could catch the back of the warrior, his sword piercing another of the creatures. He couldn't tell what the swordsman was doing, but it was certainly effective.

"He's thrusting his sword right through them" the blonde stated as though he had read Yugi's mind."What?" Yugi muttered in surprise.

"He did it when you fell, his sword went through one and it finally died" Jonouchi reported, his eyes fixed upon the swordsman.

The quiet enthusiastic roar of the miniature dragon hovering nearby caught the pair's attention, Jonouchi smirked at his dragon's arrival, while the creatures had forced Yugi from the cliff-top, they would still succeed in their mission of crossing. He turned his head to the smaller companion, about to instruct him to go first before anything to happen to echo the incident on land when his head sank beneath the water. The blonde sucked in as much air as he could, diving beneath the surface.

What he saw sent a chill down his spine, a large beige kraken seated at the bottom of the river, one of its tentacle wrapped around Yugi's leg. The blonde forced himself towards the captive, trying to pry open the clenched tentacle in order to free his friend. Sound had drowned, the effort he was putting in was draining his supply of air, but he refused to abandon Yugi.

A creature dashed past him, the binding around Yugi's leg weakened. Without wasting time to identify the liberator, Jonouchi forced his legs to kick fiercely, pushing their way to the surface, gripping onto Yugi tightly to avoid letting him slip away again. An explosion of sound came to them when their heads passed the water, gasping for air as if they had never taken a breath before. Jonouchi gazed at the cliff he had dove from, finding a figure clouded in mystery, someone he had never seen before, Yugi's violent coughs reached his ears, taking his eyes from the figure and focusing on his companion once again.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine" Yugi panted, smiling wearily at the blonde. "Thanks for saving me, Jonouchi".

The blonde smiled, reaching up for his dragon. The water surrounding them rose sharply, like a wave crashing against a manmade barrier; Jonouchi glanced into the water, certain that the being which had passed him and taken the kraken's attention had destroyed the being. The dragon came into reach; Jonouchi dragged Yugi to his side.

"What're you doing? You need to come too" Yugi stated, the river was gradually growing more violent from the sudden eruption beneath.

"I'll be fine. You're the one that needs to get out of here first" the blonde protested with a smirk.

Yugi's brow creased anxiously. Reluctantly, he climbed upon the dragon's back, his eyes fixed on Jonouchi bobbing form in the water below, wishing the dragon had the strength to escort them both back to dry land in a single trip. The dragon's wings began to flap either side, rising gradually from the water. Yugi gazed towards the sky, catching the same figure Jonouchi had noticed in his eyes, he stared curiously.

Beneath the rising dragon, Jonouchi floated without use, watching through the water at the movements of what he could only guess was the being that had intervened during the kraken's assault, thanking it without words. Before his eyes could travel between it and the sight of Yugi upon his dragon, the feeling of being surrounded by water vanished, a breeze falling onto him began. At that moment, he realized he was flying, following the upwards path of his dragon. He glanced around his shoulder, seeing a pink-haired woman carrying him, robes much like a sorceress. He didn't call out in surprise, they levelled with Yugi and Baby Dragon; the rider stared at the sight in disbelief before grinning contently.

"Jonouchi" he called. "Where did that woman come from?"

"I think she's the one that helped us out down there" the blonde answered.

The conversation trod no further, the cliff-top passed and fell beneath them, the two creatures hovering over the land, setting their bodies onto the ground and releasing their passengers. Yugi faced the unidentified character, the form visible without the sun to blind his eyes. The individual standing before them was a woman, one of their age; her outfit consisted of a sleeveless t-shirt which exposing the skin over her abdomen, crimson lettering over her chest that match the skirt that covered her rear and tall boots of a gold colour. Her hair fell to the level of her chin; sapphire eyes caught his attention more than anything else.

"You two should be careful; it's dangerous around here" she stated.

"We kind of figured that" Jonouchi mumbled, his eyes falling downwards. "Hey!" His hand shot forward, pointing to the device on her arm that matched theirs. "That magician girl must belong to you; you've got the same Shooter as we do".

The girl lifted her arm, eyes set on the device and then to theirs; the fact they had arrived in the area on top of the other-worldly beings present had been enough to proof they held the same machine as she did.

"You two are travelling then" she murmured without taking her eyes from the devices.

"Yup" Jonouchi answered accompanying a nod. "You too?"

The girl shook her head leisurely, her hair swayed innocently in the movement, the response provoked a raised eyebrow from Jonouchi. If she wasn't travelling, then why was she in an area so treacherous? He stepped forward to respond to her silence, he opened his mouth at the same moment as her, the words from her mouth quicker to enter the air between them.

"I'm not travelling…" she announced. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to. I've always thought of travelling, this place has made my partner much stronger than she's meant to be. I want to test her strength in the real world outside this area, but I lack the strength to make such moves".

"Just like I was before I met someone strong enough to take the challenge" Yugi muttered, stepping forward. "You and I are alike in our beginning determination. I'm Yugi Mutou, glad to meet you".

The girl stared at the boy who uttered his first words throughout their time standing before each other, he looked much younger, but he spoke in a way that no child she knew could.

"Anzu Mazaki" she replied.

Yugi smiled at her answer, Jonouchi jumped in to introduce himself, giving the same subtle "Katsuya Jonouchi" that Anzu had to introduce herself. Yugi gazed beyond Anzu, seeing his lone swordsman standing amongst the battlefield of fallen corpses. He raised his Shooter in order to call back his warrior; the being reverted back into the light that slipped back into the device, ejecting the capsule into Yugi's hand, his fingers tightened around it, but he didn't place it into his belt.

"Those creatures are powerful fiends. They're known as Lord Poison" Anzu stated. "They terrorized villages and towns around the area before a man drove them back some years ago. Once they stayed in this area, he departed. He was a mysterious guy, but powerful to say the least. I remember seeing him using his mage against the monsters; it was all about five years ago now".

"A powerful man with a mage" Jonouchi muttered. "We should find him some day. If he could be so strong in such a short amount of time after these things showed, then he's got to be a legend by now. Like that guy people speak of that unlocked this world".

Yugi nodded his head at the mention of the tale; the story of the world's rebirth in order to bring the creatures and native humans together. It was all a test. He turned his head back to Anzu, setting his eyes on her.

"Anzu…You said you don't have the strength to make moves to travel. I was the same" he stated, giving her a tender smile. "Jonouchi helped me in remembering to keep moving forward, allow us to become your strength in the same way".

"Yugi…" Anzu muttered. "Well, I guess I can't have you two almost dying every time there's heights involved". Her arms crossed over her chest, a smirk bearing the same nature as many of Jonouchi's grew at the base of her expression. "Alright then, if we want to follow our motivations and achieve what we want, then there's no point in me wasting my life here. I'll come with you guys to seek out that man".

The males nodded their heads, Yugi felt a twinge of jealously; Anzu was such an attractive girl and her heart was set on finding someone else. Her decisions were hers, he already had his own intentions for venturing across the plains; his hand touched the Puzzle hanging around his neck. Everyone they would meet would have their reasons for living and moving, whether they could find their answers and goals or not was something they were to decide themselves. Anzu's hand touched his wrist, snapping him out of his world of mental analysis.

"Looks like those beasts did some damage before I could get here" she stated, her eyes locked on the tatters of Yugi's sleeves, the damp cuts that had existed without any sensation. "There's a town close by, it's close to the city I live in. Though I suppose we won't stop there. You're both soaked, you could do with a rest. How about we start this journey together in the morning?"

"Sounds good" Jonouchi stated, laying a hand onto his dragon's head.

Turning away from the ravine, he recalled the creature into its capsule, Anzu followed with her mage she called her Magician of Faith. The sun hung directly overhead, beginning its temporary assignment in drying Yugi and Jonouchi before they would reach the town that Anzu's hand had extended to them from. They maintained their smiles, Yugi's eyes fell to the sacred object around his neck once again; having friends wasn't half bad. He liked feeling wanted.

* * *

**Next time**

_Yugi, Jonouchi and Anzu arrive in a town known as Tykinou. Resting after the assault that brought Anzu to their side; Jonouchi hears of the town's trouble, offering to stand in the man's place from Anzu's pass and protect the vulnerable citizens who opened their doors. Chapter 4 - "Shield"._


	4. Shield

**Yuugiou: Capsule Monsters - Beyond Legends**

_AU. In a world where humans and creatures live alongside each other, many legends have been formed. Now a young male, Yugi Mutou, plans to make himself known. One difference sets him apart: The Millennium Puzzle and the spirit of a Pharaoh on his side._

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Shield**

Strolling away from the ravine, Anzu led Yugi and Jonouchi in the direction of the town she had spoken of. The day was still young; nightfall wouldn't occur for a number of hours, she could mingle with the citizens she hadn't seen in weeks. At the same time, Yugi and Jonouchi could dry off and rest after having been cornered by the Lord Poison creatures that had ambushed them, the day could become one of relaxation after the tense battle. During the journey towards the humble town, Anzu expanded on the tale of her childhood she had begun upon meeting the two boys, of the man who stood with his mage partner, fighting back the creatures that threatened the town five years before. The town of Tykinou was one she was eager to show the two, a place with the kindest people could imagine. They opened their doors to travellers in need of a chance to recuperate and in that warm, welcoming aura laid opportunity.

She glanced over her shoulders at the two who stayed close to her heels, neither exchanged words to the other. Anzu smiled gently at their silence; it was as if they were nervous talking in her presence, she waved her hand over her shoulder.

"You guys realize I'm not going to bite you, if you say anything, right?" she giggled.

"Of course" Yugi answered with a slight chuckle. "The peace is just welcoming to my ears after the screeches of those creatures and everything that happened back there".

Jonouchi pressed his left hand over his ear to continue where his companion had left off "Yeah, those things were a royal pain in the ass" he mumbled.

"At least you won't have to deal with them anymore" Anzu called over her shoulder. "And Tykinou isn't too far, it should appear any minute".

"It's a good thing we ate earlier, I never expected there to be so much walking" Jonouchi moaned discreetly, his eyes drifting to the sky to avoid any glare Anzu would shoot back at him.

She did no such thing. She may have picked up that Jonouchi was only optimistic at certain periods, but she hadn't heard enough of his moans and complaints to argue against them. Especially if that was a part of him and a quality of the blonde that Yugi liked. The two seemed close, Anzu couldn't even try to predict how much time they had spent together; she would never believe them if they revealed their friendship was less than twenty-four hours old.

Just as the brunette girl had foretold, the town she had told the duo of emerged in the plains ahead of them, a gradual descent to the level of the community and a brisk saunter to the edge of the houses that lined streets. Anzu pointed to it with a proud smile, confirming what Yugi and Jonouchi could only guess about the settlement. She jumped ahead and down the first steps of the slope downwards, the air about her gave the impression she held the place true to her heart, she had been able to handle herself to the top of the ravine, she had no trouble in fighting for herself. The area had done wonders for a girl that seemed would have been otherwise weak and vulnerable.

Yugi found himself impressed by Anzu, everything about her. She had beauty, she had power; she was resourceful. The type of girl he had always wanted to meet and grow close to, the faceless babe of his fantasies. He could learn from her, she had expressed the same anxiousness in leaving her native corner of the country and spreading her wings to their full extent. She was a young chick worried about trying to fly for the first time. With such a tranquil region around her, he didn't blame her for wanting to remain a part of it. He felt his strong attachment to Domino because of how lively it had been entering his heart, the same attachment that had dragged him back each and every time he had tried to spread his own wings.

Jonouchi was the opposite to them both, he had willingly left without anything holding him back, even his sister that lingered in his hometown. The girl he had spoken of; he travelled for her, he would take her when her body grew stronger, they would always be together. Shizuka was someone Jonouchi held as dear to his heart as Anzu did those living in the settlement beyond their grasp, the community marked on their invisible map of travels. Yugi grew curious about the nature of the citizens, of why they were so welcoming. Wouldn't there be a time when someone would visit that they would regret taking in? Did they even believe in the darkness of people and the ingratitude of some? The way Anzu had spoken of the town, life felt…so simple. An idyllic life in his eyes.

The descent to the level of the fields and settlement they were headed came to an end, they had returned to the ground level they had begun the day upon, it felt strangely relieving. At the same time, they had lost the ability to gaze at the picturesque view they could capture in their eyes from much higher.

Anzu led the two across the open meadows to the edge of the settlement, drawing eyes from those standing outside homes and small businesses alike. It then occurred in Yugi's mind that the visitors the girl had spoken of had been lone travellers, bearing a single Capsule Shooter as opposed to travelling together as he, Jonouchi, and now Anzu, had. The girl raised a hand with a smile, receiving several raised hands and smiles in returns; she was well liked amongst the people.

The soft earth became concrete when the houses stood either side of them and began to fall behind. Yugi gazed at the area, his mind gazing back at Domino. He refused to cave into any form of homesickness, he would never get the answers he sought or the goals he set if he were to turn back to Domino every time he thought about those he knew in the city. He had faced that outcome too many times. The brunette girl described the various buildings to the two, each with its own purpose and with someone to help them. The three eventually came before an inn, Anzu turned to the two behind her, her hand open as though to take something hanging by her side.

"We'll stay here for the night; you two could do with a rest after earlier. You clothes will need to dry too" she spoke.

Yugi's face flushed a bright red; while he knew Anzu wouldn't watch him changing his clothes, the fact she could talk about it like it was an everyday thing touched upon something that brought out a part of his mind he never thought he would uncover. Jonouchi picked up on the blush in the corner of his eye at the same moment that Anzu turned her back to them, forcing her palms against the door and forcing it open. The blonde nudged Yugi's arm with his elbow, picking up on the signs that Yugi seemed to be holding feelings for brunette girl.

"Hey, what's all this?" the blonde teased. "You fancy Anzu or something?"

"Shut up" Yugi hissed quickly, shaking his head to rid his face of the red glow.

Jonouchi's eyes shot away, he was finding it difficult to believe Yugi may have already felt about Anzu as potentially more than friends one day, they had only met an hour or so before. The blonde inwardly chuckled like a mischievous child. Without anything more to hold them back, they followed through the doorway, finding Anzu talking to a man they assumed owned the site. The brunette looked over her shoulder at them, indicating to the man that they were the subjects of the conversation.

Without waiting to see what was to be said of them outside the range of their hearing, the two crossed the lobby, halting close behind Anzu who turned to them with a bright smile.

"Its fine with Kyozu" she reported with a gentle giggle.

"Great, I'm up for a shower right now" Jonouchi called enthusiastically.

"I was expecting you to spend your time lying in the sun. I suppose you can't pick up everything about a guy from first impressions" the brunette answered, giving a sigh as her arms crossed over her chest.

"What?! You haven't said anything that _could_ be considered right about me!" Jonouchi snapped fiercely."Jonouchi, calm down" Yugi chuckled nervously. "It _was_ her Magician of Faith that helped us back in the ravine. Here isn't really the place to start up a fight anyway".

Jonouchi pulled his fists back, folding his arms over his chest and fixing his eyes upon Anzu gloweringly. "Fine, but she better not let that hang over our heads forever" he growled.

"Come on, we're wasting time here" Yugi intervened, placing himself between the two with a step forward. He gazed between each who had turned away from their opponent, focusing more on him standing between them. "We won't have forever to rest; we should make the most of it instead of arguing all day".

Without any time for either to say anything, Yugi had his back to them and already proceeding towards the short corridor holding the doors of several rooms. The brunette shrugged, following the shorter boy towards the corridor. Noting the argument had been postponed; Jonouchi shrugged and followed her path. Strolling past half of the doors; Yugi paused, turning back to Anzu and Jonouchi.

"We've got a couple of rooms for the night. That way, you guys can spend the day doing whatever you want. Plus we get the night here" the brunette reported, opening her hand out in front of one of the various doors.

"That's great, Anzu. Thanks a lot" Yugi called enthusiastically.

"Its fine, Yugi. The people of this town always welcome travellers who are in need of a rest" Anzu replied, glancing up into the foyer they had been standing in only a moment before. "Kyozu knows me from coming here several times, but even if I wasn't here, he'd allow you two to rest here without a problem".

"Isn't that dangerous? What if someone without decent intentions arrives?" Yugi asked, turning his eyes to the girl.

"Nah, the people here can find good in anyone" Anzu answered with a chuckle. "They can handle themselves and they know very well that a day when someone with a dark nature may occur".

Anzu pushed open the oaken door which revealed the room she would spend the night in. Opposite it, a door stood as though mirroring what the threshold appeared once the door shut behind her. Jonouchi turned to Yugi with a smirk.

"What'll we do then?" he asked.

"I'm heading for a shower first" Yugi chuckled timidly. "I can still feel my clothes dragging me down, perhaps there's somewhere we can relax while our clothes dry. How about you have a shower before me, Jonouchi, I owe you for saving me, though it wouldn't exactly equal the measures you went to in order to save me. It's what I can offer until a time when I can really pay you back".

The blonde blinked at the short teenager, he couldn't believe the praise he was hearing, like Yugi was speaking a foreign language, words he hadn't heard in months, possibly even years. He smirked after a moment of bafflement, laying a hand onto Yugi's damp shoulder; their clothes weren't dripping with water, but he felt exactly what Yugi meant in that contact.

"Yugi, I saved you because you're my friend, not because I wanted you to pay me back" he stated casually. "I'll go ahead; you and Yami can talk about whatever you want to keep you busy. I promise I won't take long".

The blonde entered the chamber, holding the door open for his companion who gratefully followed through the threshold. Over his shoulder, Yami appeared as though Jonouchi's mention of him had beckoned him from the maze within the Puzzle, Yugi smiled at the transparent spirit while Jonouchi proceeded into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

"It's a good thing we encountered Jonouchi in the end, it seems" the teenager stated cheerfully.

"_He's trustworthy as you said"_ Yami commented, refusing for his eyes to meet Yugi's. The boy gazed at him with a youthful brightness in his eyes, just waiting for Yami to return the focus and mutely tease that he had been right about Jonouchi from the start.

"I wonder how he came across his Capsule Shooter, he spoke about his sister before; he must have used it to defend her against threats against their home like Anzu said happened here" Yugi mused aloud. "We've known each other less than twenty-four hours, but we've bonded well. I'm eager to learn more about him".

"_Jonouchi will open up in time. You're still relatively strangers, given how little you both know about each other. I'm sure Jonouchi shares you interest in the past" _Yami muttered coolly.

"And I'll be waiting keenly for him to ask" Yugi affirmed, smiling brightly at the Pharaoh.

* * *

Jonouchi strolled along the earthen paths marked throughout the town, his previous outfit of a white t-shirt with blue sleeves and jeans continued to dry. For the present time, he wore a pale blue t-shirt with a darker blue jacket hanging to his hips accompanied with black trousers and trainers. He strode casually through the pathways marked in the town, hands in his pockets, smirking friendly to those that had granted him and Yugi access to the town, those that had offered to care for them throughout the night.

A place of such peace; it had been a long time since he had felt such purity and sereneness.

An elderly woman nearby chuckled lightly, seated on a bench fixed onto the edge of a dwelling, her sudden laughter caught the blonde's attention, drawing him to her. She gazed out at the fields visible from their location in the calm road, able to view portions of a number of fields.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" he inquired, realizing there was no-one else for her to have spoken to.

"I'm fine, youngster" she chuckled, laying a hand onto his. "I have lived a long and fruitful life, always waiting in this town to open arms to those who need it. I worked at the inn further in-town for several decades".

Jonouchi's mouth opened slightly at the mention of the building he, Yugi and Anzu would be sleeping through the night. The corners of his mouth quickly rose to form a smile across his lips.

"Thank you; it's people like you that have given my friend and I a safe place to sleep tonight" he whispered gently.

"You're staying at the inn?" the woman asked, a peak of interest sounded in her words.

"Yeah. A friend and I are travelling, we met up with Anzu Mazaki earlier, she's decided she'll join us" Jonouchi replied.

"Ah, Anzu-chan. I'm glad she's made friends to travel with, she's always been so nervous about leaving us" the woman chuckled softly. "I always believed she was worried about the monsters around the area, thinking they would attack the town and that she couldn't protect this place like that young man".

"Huh?" Jonouchi sounded, widening his eyes slightly.

"Has Anzu-chan not spoken of the man that appeared a few years ago to protect this town from a swarm of monsters?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow gradually.

"No, she's told me. I just didn't know that she wanted to stay… to fight against creatures attacking this town. I thought they were gone after that guy showed up and drove them off" Jonouchi murmured, watching the woman with eyes filled with surprise.

"No, it seems they decided to lurk on the outskirts of the town. Anzu-chan would regularly appear in order to drive them away, but they never attacked. Perhaps they're aware that Anzu-chan is leaving and they've used the opportunity to prepare before she departs" the woman muttered solemnly.

"Don't worry; as a way to pay back you and your fellow citizens, I'll face off against these creatures so they can't harass you once our backs are turned" Jonouchi called, his hand clenched into a fist beneath the elder woman's gentle touch. "It's the least I can do to pay you all back for helping those of us with Capsule Shooters. Besides… there's someone I wish to protect. This can be the first practice in preparation of our reunion".

A flame flared within Jonouchi's hazels eyes; the elder woman whose eyes appeared as though they had been closed throughout their meeting lifted her eyebrows at the sight of such sudden determination. And for strangers. Jonouchi had adapted the spirit they held within themselves. She smiled, gripping his fist gently.

"I'm sure you'll do great, young man" she uttered with a warm smile.

"Call me Katsuya Jonouchi, ma'am" the blonde replied, mirroring the expression.

The blonde departed from the woman within a handful of minutes, waving over his shoulder at her; she was only one of dozens, hundreds, who lived in the town threatened by these creatures that preyed on those without creatures to fight back. It sickened him, strong picking on the weak - who gave a crap about 'survival of the fittest' when the weak were only those vulnerable _because_ they possessed no means to fight back. Because they _cared_ about every being, no matter what the nature of the outsider may be.

Jonouchi strode along the path, leading him to the outskirts of Tykinou, loading his lone capsule into the Shooter attached to his arm and aiming it ahead. A ray of light erupted from the cannon, his Baby Dragon emerging as vibrantly as ever.

In the field around him, several creatures appeared of two appearances; the first like giant beans wielding swords, shields and piercing glares - Bean Soldiers. The others appeared much like giant flowers; blue petals with pointed tips, two sets of viciously sharp teeth and vines filled with thorns patting the ground dominatingly - Tentacle Plants. Jonouchi's blazing eyes narrowed at the emergence of the creatures; those who bullied the exposed town. Those he wouldn't allow to live long enough to witness the departing of the town's defence

* * *

Nine years of age Jonouchi had been on that fateful day. The blonde child raced through the fields bearing crops in the new season of spring. Behind him, a young girl with long ochre hair followed, giggling innocently, her large sparkling eyes of a mocha shade.

"Keep up, Shizuka" Jonouchi called over his shoulder.

"I'm coming Nii-san" the girl replied in a breathless gasp. "You're much faster than me; you should go easy on your little sister".

"You'll be fine" Jonouchi chuckled, coming to a halt.

The girl had reached his side within two minutes, pressing the palms of her hands against her pale knees panting heavily from the race into the lea. Jonouchi grinned triumphantly over his sister, laying a hand on her curved back.

"Are you alright, Shizuka?" he muttered.

"Yeah, I'm fine" the girl respired, giving her brother a smile.

Jonouchi's hazel eyes brightened, relieved that he hadn't pushed his sister beyond her physical limits. Ahead of them, an unknown object glimmered amongst the towering plates of grass, catching the child's eye. He stepped ahead, the movement startling his sister who began to panic that he would leave her behind. She pushed herself to stand straight, observing Jonouchi's blonde hair swimming through the vibrant grass.

"Nii-san" she cried.

"It's alright, Shizuka. I'm still here; I've just found something amazing" Jonouchi called back, trailing off and leaving a moment of silence to hang between them. His voice rose in a thrilled tone, almost making his sister leap from the ground. "Shizuka! Come see this!"

The girl rushed forward, peering through the tall grass in search of what her brother had yelped over. She found him quickly, eyes meeting the golden device on the ground; the markings on it looked so foreign, she had never seen anything like it and by his reaction, obviously her brother hadn't either.

"What is it?" she whispered timidly.

"I don't know. Maybe aliens dropped it" Jonouchi presumed, grinning widely at the discovery.

"A - Aliens?" Shizuka shrieked in terror, resisting the desire of her legs to run from the site.

"Don't worry, Shizuka. We can't be sure _what _this thing is and who it belongs to" Jonouchi chuckled gently.

He reached for the foreign machine eagerly, feeling Shizuka clinging to his t-shirt anxiously behind him. She knew that he would be there to protect him; she was terrified at the thought of anything happening to him; for his sake, not hers.

"Careful, nii-san" she whispered agitatedly into his ear.

"Don't worry, I've got it" Jonouchi answered, peering over his shoulder at the tense girl.

Shizuka nodded just before the boy's fingers touched the cool metal, smirking victoriously as he dragged it close to his torso, gazing down at the device curiously. The shape suggested it was something that rested on a body part - most likely the arm. He stretched his left arm, slipping the device on, it hung loosely.

"It's like a shield, nii-san" Shizuka muttered.

"A shield… or maybe a sword" Jonouchi replied, grinning positively. With the device on his arm, he felt like something wonderful would happen in the future.

The device began to shine, almost with intensity to blind the siblings, once it faded, they both realized a belt had appeared around Jonouchi's waist. Six holders attached to it. The boy turned to Shizuka, watching the fear in her eyes reduced to nothing more than curiosity as she observed the device. Neither had any idea what the device's purpose was or where the belt around his waist had appeared from, but neither seemed to hold a threat within them. They were lifeless objects. He held out the arm bearing the device, offering her his hand. She took the hand, gripping it firmly. Her eyes lifted to her brother's face espying the warm smile he presented her with, mirroring it to a degree. The boy led the girl towards the edge of the field.

Several weeks later, the two had travelled to a forest which stood on the opposite side of the meadows to the town they lived in, curious about if there was anything more related to the machine they had found previously. Upon arrival in the town with it, Jonouchi attracted the attention of several children, even some adults who had heard the news of golden lights pouring from the sky in recent days into a week - all originating from India. Jonouchi led the timid girl into the first layer of trees that towered over them and into the forest. Shizuka gripped the bottom of Jonouchi's t-shirt tightly, her eyes darting nervously between trees and the ground to bushes and a space between two trees.

Jonouchi bent down in front of a stone, one very similar to a headstone, he gazed inquisitively at the patterns engraved into the rock. Shizuka fell to her knees beside him, observing the markings nervously.

"Nii-san, I don't know about this…" she whispered. "It looks like those things above graves where the person's name is written. What if we're sitting on a grave with no name?"

"I doubt it" Jonouchi chuckled, patting his sister on the back as though her worry was just a preposterous suggestion.

He moved his hand towards the slab of rock, fingers stretched to their limits eagerly awaiting the sensation of the rock against his palm. Shizuka said nothing, Jonouchi would only bring up the instant they had found the device on his arm as an example to counter her concerns. Jonouchi's palm pressed against the rock, nothing happened. For a few seconds.

A bright light erupted before them, causing both to shut their eyes and cry out in shock at the light, Jonouchi wrapped his arms around Shizuka in order to protect her from the threat that had risen. The light died, leaving their limited view pitch black as usual; nothing happened, there was no moaning of a zombie, no snarling of a beast, nothing to suggest there was anything about to attack them. The blonde gradually opened his eyes, perceiving a miniature orange dragon hovering over them. He helped at the sight, jumping back and dragging Shizuka to the floor with him. The girl opened her eyes to witness the harmless being smiling down at them; what she believed to be a smile at least.

"Nii-san" she breathed. "I don't think he's going to hurt us".

"It's not?" Jonouchi asked, looking down at her in bewilderment.

"No, it's a baby dragon. It might not know, but it seems like it wants to make friends with us or something similar" Shizuka commented. The fear that had been ever-present in her had vanished in an instant; she wasn't afraid, she wasn't weak. She felt comfortable with the dragon's presence.

Jonouchi sat, staring at the dragon intensely. Shizuka giggled at the contest of stares that began between the two. Jonouchi turned away, reluctant to continue, instead, he focused upon her.

"How can you be so sure?" he asked.

"It's just a feeling" Shizuka answered, laying both hands against her flat chest. "Just like you had a feeling about that thing on your arm, I have a feeling about this".

"Yeah, but _one_ of those feelings were wrong" Jonouchi mumbled.

"Only because it wasn't sent by aliens" Shizuka giggled. "We can trust this dragon; I had no idea they existed".

She reached forward, laying her hand against the nose of creature, it simply twitched it nostrils. Jonouchi gasped in amazement and leapt forward, patting the creature's head lightly. The dragon purred happily.

"I think those rocks might be like eggs" Shizuka uttered, catching Jonouchi's attention. "This dragon was born from it and came to us. There must be more out there somewhere, all linked to the lights that spread from India".

Within hours, the dragon had become exhausted and faded into a beam of light that shot into Jonouchi's device, a tiny capsule popping out, the children had stumbled upon something truly amazing in the golden device and their pet dragon. They gained much attention from those around them as a result, hearing a tale of the lights being from another world.

News reports had shown a teenager wearing a device just like Jonouchi's, saying that he had seen the light and stepped towards it, for it to blind him. When he had opened his eyes, a belt had appeared around his waist and the device sat upon his arm. They spoke of a young mage who also showed after the flash; a mage that had occurred in front of the man just as the dragon had them.

A year after the incidents that led the siblings to stumble upon the machine and dragon, rumours had spread about several other devices appearing, many of those that had located them leaving their hometowns in order to seek adventure. Many stories of each travel began to emerge, inspiring Jonouchi to make his dragon more powerful in the future; to travel out of the city and learn just what had been the origin of the device and why it had appeared before him and Shizuka. The ten year-old strolled cheerfully before he recognized the sight of his sister standing in front of three boys who appeared a year or two older than him.

"People around here know it's going to happen" a black-haired boy shouted.

"But nii-san wouldn't do that" Shizuka protested, sounding in tears.

Jonouchi rushed forward, hearing the sobs of his younger sister; what concerned him beneath the fact that she had been upset was that the discussion seemed to revolve around him. Something that he wouldn't do.

"It's true. Look at all the people that have travelled after finding those things; it's only a matter of time before your brother realizes you're not strong enough to go with him and leaves you here. We've all seen the glint in his eye when it comes to thinking about the future".

"_No!_" Shizuka protested tearfully. "Nii-san wouldn't say things like that and he wouldn't leave for those reasons. I know he wants to travel, but he wouldn't call me weak and then leave me".

"Hey!" the blonde yelled.

The three boys glanced at the blonde; silence seized the confrontation between the sobs of the young girl. Jonouchi glared at the three hatefully; they had been debating over his plans and twisted his feelings about the girl into a chance to call her weak. It was unforgivable.

"Leave her alone" he demanded furiously. "Shizuka is the most important person in the world to me; I would never disgrace her in such a way. You shouldn't pick on the weak; especially a young girl without a means to fight back with. Now get out of here before I decide that Baby Dragon could do with some target practice".

The three trembled at the mention of the creature that the two had discovered; especially when it had been used as a threat. The retreated hastily, leaving Shizuka alone staring at her brother through the tears that her vision swam in.

"Don't worry Shizuka" Jonouchi sounded gently. "When Baby Dragon and I are stronger, we'll take you with us on our journey. We'll be there to shield you, we won't abandon you".

The words filled the girl's spirit with hope.

Several years later when Jonouchi had become sixteen, he prepared to depart from the town of his childhood; Baby Dragon remained his lone partner. Shizuka rushed towards him, her long hair flowing delicately in her rush to meet with her brother. She gripped his shirt tightly, burying her face into his chest.

"Nii-san, you're really going?" she sobbed.

"Yeah. Baby Dragon and I are going to get stronger; then we'll come back for you. I promised you and I stick to that promise" Jonouchi uttered softly, stroking her hair. "I won't abandon you; we'll be back to take you with us when we're strong enough to protect you".

"Promise you'll be back soon, nii-san" Shizuka whimpered, looking up at him through a flood of tears.

"I promise".

* * *

Jonouchi's burning eyes locked onto the sight of the two types of creatures that had emerged, glaring hatefully at the bullies. Just in front of him, Baby Dragon - that faithful companion of almost eight years eagerly. Jonouchi clenched his fist.

"Go get them, Baby Dragon!" he yelled.

The dragon rushed forward, opening its jaws and building a sphere of flames. Jonouchi smirked confidently; with the creatures opposite them of a forest nature, they would stand no chance against the balls of flames Baby Dragon used as a weapon. The dragon fired the ball like a cannon, sending it smashing into the ground where it erupted into a small fire flaring against the ground, flames catching several of the Tentacle Plants which screeched very much like the Lords Poisons at the ravine before they shattered; becoming golden lights which dissolved in the air. That was the manner of death for these creatures; sudden, painful, as though they were being rejected by the human world. Baby Dragon launched another fireball, hitting a Bean Soldier; the creature flailed briefly before exploding.

Jonouchi's eyes remained focused on the dragon before he felt something collide with his chest, knocking him to the ground. He growled anguished before his eyes met the sight of a Tentacle Plant with one of its thorny vines wrapped around his leg, threatening to tear his trouser leg to tatters and rip apart his skin. The blonde hissed, sitting up before he used the Capsule Shooter on his arm as a shield to knock the creature away. The plant flailed briefly before recovering. That was the moment Jonouchi realized just how outnumbered they were, he glared at the tentacles whipping Baby Dragon, the Bean Soldiers battering it with their shields and swords. The dragon rose higher in the air, but its wings had a limited endurance. Jonouchi searched around as though wishing there was someone to help; that was until his eyes fell upon something in a bush nearby. He rushed towards it, dodging the Tentacle Plant that hissed and picked itself up to give chase. His pulled the branches and leaves of the shrug apart to find a rock with the same markings as the one Baby Dragon had been released from; Shizuka's words echoed in his mind.

"_I think those rocks might be like eggs"._

This was the best opportunity to see if she had been right, he pressed his hand against the cold rock. The same light appeared, blinding him. The monsters turned to the sight, Baby Dragon gazing at Jonouchi on a single knee in front of the light.

When the blonde opened his eyes, his retina took a few seconds to alter, he found himself kneeling in front of a warrior with a blue and orange attire, a large orange sword with a symbol on the bright orange blade. The eyes of the man had been shrouded in the shadow of the helmet it wore, at the base of him; he wore large brown boots over his feet. Jonouchi almost gazed in shock at the proven hypothesis his sister had spoken long ago as well as how powerful the warrior appeared. His eyes lit up at the sight of the warrior, he pushed himself to his feet. As though an automatic process equipped with unlocking the warrior, the name sounded in Jonouchi's mind, causing him to grin confidently.

"Flame Swordsman…" he muttered before he turned on his heels to face the creatures that had threatened Tykinou. "You're finished now".

The Tentacle Plant that had hopped after him, hissing viciously, lunged at him. Jonouchi gasped at the sight that he had forgotten about, only to see the creature explode suddenly. Jonouchi's eyes diverted from the falling embers to Baby Dragon and then to Flame Swordsman, seeing the sword pointed at where the creature had been.

"Wow, Flame Swordsman, do you want to help Baby Dragon and I protect this town?" Jonouchi asked, his face shifting to his usual determined expression.

The warrior leapt over the blonde, his blade engulfed in flames, Baby Dragon roared, opening its mouth to create another ball of flames.

"Baby Dragon, you too" Jonouchi called, clenching his fists tightly. "Attack them together".

The two sources of fire began the process of attacking, flames erupting around the creatures, provoking shrieks and screeches of flaming agony until many of the victims shattered into nothing. The process continued; two more flaming sphere smashed into various creatures, flames continuing to eat at the ground, threatening the survivors. A third set followed quickly, a Bean Soldier screeched as the flames burned at it, one of the last standing. It launched its sword at Jonouchi who hadn't been focused on it; rather his own monsters. Baby Dragon raced towards the blonde at the limits of its ability, its head colliding with his chest, sending them both crashing against the ground. Jonouchi looked down, dazed, at the dragon, observing the sword fly overhead. Flame Swordsman's blade became wrapped in flames again, directing the small tornado of heat to the failed assassin. The attack hit, shattering the creature and the other survivors in an instant.

Jonouchi stroked Baby Dragon's head gratefully; it had pushed itself to its limits, all to save him. The blonde sat, clutching the petit dragon to his chest. Small flames continued to linger, burning weakly; the fact they had survived could prove troublesome - there was an unlimited amount of oxygen to fuel them, the grass remained vulnerable. The blonde stood, holding the dragon up from the ground, Flame Swordsman standing beside him.

"What're we going to do about this?" he sighed.

Droplets of water began to fall upon the ground, increasing in rate until it seemed a miniature waterfall had fallen over the land. Jonouchi gazed in astonishment before he twisted his neck to witness the source; a small white dolphin with a horn upon its head much like a unicorn's. Behind it, the woman he had seen previously stood beaming, Jonouchi's mouth fell open. On her arm sat a Capsule Shooter.

"_You_ have one?!" he yelled in shock.

"I found it about four years ago, this little fellow popped up a while later" the woman chuckled warmly. "But I'm not fit to travel like you and your young friends. I decided to stay here where I could reach out to those like me, especially after I had worked in the inn. I wanted to continue helping others".

Jonouchi stared at the woman, almost like he wouldn't believe what she was saying… but there was nothing against an elderly woman finding a Capsule Shooter.

* * *

Once the flames had been doused, Jonouchi and the woman stood where they had met, each with their creatures beside them. Jonouchi smiled at the woman anxiously.

"This young one is called White Dolphin" she muttered, patting it gently. "I've used it to help water the crops and plants in the town and field since we bonded. Then those creatures appeared, threatening to attack, it became difficult for White Dolphin to carry out its job in the fields, we had to rely on the rain as we did before these creatures arrived in our world. White Dolphin is a peaceful creature, it doesn't have the power or the will to fight against them, but now that you've arrived, you've been able to deal with our problem with ease. Those creatures kept popping up as though nothing had happened after each battle Anzu-chan endured against them".

"She never completely destroyed them?" Jonouchi inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"She always believed they would learn. That just roughing them up would be enough, she has never really destroyed a creature like that" the woman answered.

"Except at the ravine" Jonouchi whispered.

"Jonouchi-kun, I know it's sudden and selfish of me, but I have a request" the woman continued. "I want you to travel for me, just as you travel for yourself and your friends, I want you to travel and enjoy your youth for me as well".

"Of course, ma'am" Jonouchi replied with a light chuckle. "That's nor in any way selfish to me; if anything, you deserve to feel selfish once in a while after everything you've done".

"Jonouchi-kun… my name is Eria" the woman added brightly.

"Eria" Jonouchi echoed. "Alright Eria, I'll fulfil your wish for you".

* * *

Twilight came, darkening the town, Yugi laid in the bed beside Jonouchi's. Neither could be sure if the other was aware. Jonouchi glanced at Yugi's petit body, his back faced the blonde; he began to wonder just why and how Yugi had come across the Capsule Shooter - why they all had. Was there something special about them that fate had recognized? Potential within them? His hazel eyes wandered in the darkness to the Capsule Shooter and belt that had been laid on the night table beside him; Anzu and Yugi had yet to notice he had obtained a new creature, both had been exhausted before Jonouchi could guide them to the inn, he wasn't surprised. Baby Dragon had been battered and then risked its life to protect him; Flame Swordsman had only recently emerged from its "egg". The two made a wonderful team; powerful, resourceful, Jonouchi felt a sense of pride in being the one to hold their capsule.

Just what was it about Yugi, Anzu, Eria and him that had been so special? What about those that possessed the devices they had yet to meet? Was it all because of their pasts; Anzu had mentioned the man that protected the town, Eria had used her White Dolphin to assist in aspects of the town's life, he fought to grow strong in order to travel with Shizuka. He couldn't be sure of Yugi's reason; he could only guess that his motivation lied in Yami and his Puzzle.

Whatever the reason, they had come together through fate; through the wish that had rumour had carried across the country. They would find the answer together; him, Yugi, Yami and Anzu. For Shizuka. For Eria. Foe everyone who craved the answer. Jonouchi stretched his arms, he couldn't help but feel that the unanswered question was much like the meaning of life that people had sought over decades, beyond a time he could be sure. Perhaps fate had bestowed another rhetorical answer in the form of the Capsule Shooters and the creatures that had appeared in the world since that day. To test each person that gained the device and those that hadn't. Would everything of this world disappear if an answer could be found? Was that the challenge?

The blonde shrugged and turned over, his back facing Yugi's, he couldn't understand why his head had been filled with such philosophical thoughts. He was a humble guy in a large world, one of billions. Had Eria really opened his eyes that much in the tales she told? He couldn't be sure. His mind swam in memories and the possible future, eyelids gradually falling to his relief. There was so many types of people that had gained the Shooter replicas; all with different intentions, natures and motivations. His mind wandered to the day he and Shizuka heard of the tale about the man who had discovered the world; he had always wondered what creatures he had obtained, what he was like. Why he had been chosen.

There was one thing he could be certain of, he _would_ be certain of: he would fulfil his promises, both to Shizuka and Eria. He was a man of his word and he would prove it to them, to his friends, to fate.

* * *

**Next time**

_Rumours are floating about of a man bearing capsules holding extremely powerful creatures. Jonouchi and Yugi grow eager to meet such a man, hoping he would join them as an ally. What they __learn is not everyone with a Capsule Shooter is friendly. Chapter 5 - "White Dragons"._


End file.
